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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


1980 


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Bibliothdque  nationals  du  Canada 


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in  one  exposure  are  filmed  beginning  in  the 
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1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

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4 

5 

6 

i'  ?i^ 


■  vf^iMinnw 


WTjr^'^n'pK'yr^^-srt  .•>;■.  -.m-n 


^/  T  -rvr  •  *»««t*  ,•-•»  * 


AMONG 


3Re  Indians 


,  i- 


BENJ.    G.    AEMSTRONG. 


THOS.    P.    WENTWORTH. 


COPYRIGHTED  JANUARY,  1891, 

—  BY  — 

B.   Gr.  ARMSTRONG 

—  AND  — 

T.  P.  WENTWORTH, 

ASHLAND,  WIS. 


BAI^LY  LIFE  AMONG  THE  INDIANS. 


Kerainiseer'.ees 


FROM  THE  I.IFE  OK 


BENJ,  G.  ARMSTRONG, 

OF 

1835,  IBS'?,  184^ 

AND 

18©4. 


Habits  and  Customs  of  the  Red  Men 
of  the  Forest. 


iDGiflBDts,  liograp&iBal  SMbBbs. 

Battles,  &c. 

DICTATED  TO  AND  WRITTEN    BY 

TIIOS.   P.  WENTWOllTII, 

ASHLAND.    WISCONSIN. 


1892. 

PRESS   OF   A.    W.   BOWIUJN, 

ASIILAXD.   WIS. 


CONTENTS: 


CHAPTER  T-The  Kcnioval  Order-Trent ies  of  IW  and  1842.— Off 

Tor  \\  ufcjbington.— in  Now  York  with  Only  One  Dime 9 

CIIAPTE:  .  II.— In   Wnshlnfrton.— Told    to  Go   Ilome.-Thc    "Great 
Gather."— lieversal  of  the  Kenioval  Order.— Treaty  of  1854 
.  and  the  Reservations 26 

CHAPTER  in.— Tidal  Wave  of  Iminijfration.-Sharp  Practices.— An 

Indian  Shot.— I'residcnt  Lincoln's  Promisee 55 

CHAPTER  IV.-FirstPaymcnt  Under  Treaty  of  1854.— Uaath  of  Buf- 

tfalo.— An  Indian  Tradition.— The  First  Log  Cabin 79 

CHAPTER  V.-Early  yettlers.-Battle  of  the  Rrule.— The  Scalp-Lock, 

—The  Sioux  Revenge 01 

CHAPTER  VI.— The  American  Fur  Co.-An  Indian  Law.— The  Choice 

of  a  Wife.— Indian  Courtship  and  Marriage 100 

CHAPTER  VII.— The  Indians  As  They  Were  In  the  Old  Days.  —Birch 

Bark  and  Its'  Uses 107 

CHAPTER  VIII.— The  Influence  of  Whiskey.— Stay  and  Departure  of 

the  Traders,- Annuity  Payments 126 

CHAPTER  IX.— Origin  of  the  Chippewa  Tribes-Early  Missionaries. 

-  Black  Hawks  Capture 147 

CHAPTER  X.— Excitement  Among  Whites  and  Indians  —The  Ghost 

Dance— The  Headwaters  of  the  Mississippi 160 

CHAPTER  XI —Source  of  the  Great  Riv^r.— The  Indians  There  in 

1S42.— "  Don't  Eat  Moose  Till  You  Catch  Him" 161 

CHAPTER  XII.— Two    Languages— Religious    Beliefs. -A     Secret 

Order.— The  Mysterious  River.— Happy  Hunting  Grounds     174 

CHAPTER  XIII.— Prominent  Chippewa  Chiefs.— Buffalo  as  a  Chief.— 

A  Chief's  Daughter 196 

CHAPTER  XIV.— Father  Baraga.— Source  of  the  Chippewa  Religion. 

—The  Chippewa  Church 803 

CHAPTER  XV.—  King  of  the  Apostle  Islands.'— Organisation  of  Ash- 
land County.— Up  a  Tree 211 

CHAPTER  XVI.— The  Chipp- wa  Valley.— Pioneer  Settlers  and  Early 

Lumbermen.— J  uetice  in  the  Early  Days 234 

CHAPTER  XVII.— A  Mysterious  Disappearance.— An  Introduction 

to  the  Family  of  Mr.  Bruin 234 

CHAPTER  XVIII.— The  Beginning  of  the  Indian  Troubles  and  Their 

Causes. -Spiritualism  and  Its  Origin 240 

CHAPTER  XIX.— The  Chippewa  Language 250 

Biographical 261 


PREFACE. 


This  undertaking  I  begin,  not  without  mis- 
givings as  to  my  ability  to  finish  a  well  con- 
nected history  of  my  recollections.  I  kept  no 
dates  at  any  time,  and  must  rely  wholly  upon 
my  memory  at  seventy-one  years  of  age. 

Those  of  my  white  associates  in  the  early 
days,  who  are  still  living,  are  not  within  reach 
to  assist  me  by  rehearsals  of  former  times. 

Those  of  the  older  Indians  who  could  assist 
me,  could  I  converse  with  them,  have  passed 
beyond  the  Great  River,  and  the  younger  ones, 
of  whom  there  are  many  not  far  distant,  could 
not  assist  me  in  the  most  essential  portions  of 
the  work. 

Therefore,  without  assistance  and  assuring 
the  reader  that  dates  will  be  essentially  cor- 
rect, and  that  a  strict  adherence  to  facts  will 
be  followed,  and  with  the  hope  that  a  generous 
public  will  make  due  allowance  for  the  l':pse  of 

years,  I  am. 

Your  obedient  servant, 

-  THE  AUTHOR, 


B^^  Indian  Hi^tot^^. 


CHAPTER  I. 


The  First  Treaty. — The  Removal  Order.— 
Treaties  of  1837  and  1842. — A  Trip  to  Wash- 
ington.— In  New  York  City  with  Only  One 
Dime. — At  the  Broker's  Residence. 

My  earliest  recollections  in  Northern  Wiscon- 
sin and  Minnesota  territories  date  back  to  1835, 
at  which  time  Gren.  Cass  and  others  on  the  part 
of  the  Government,  with  different  tribes  of  Indi- 
ans, viz :  Potawatomies,  Winnebagos,  Chippe- 
was,  Saux  and  Foxes  and  the  Sioux,  at  Prairie 
dii  Chien,  met  in  open  council,  to  define  and 
agree  apon  boundary  lines  between  the  Saux 
and  Foxes  and  the  Chippewas.  The  boundary 
or  division  of  territory  as  agreed  upon  and  estab- 
lished by  this  council  was  the  Mississippi  River 
from  Prairie  du  Chien  north  to  the  mouth  of 


10  EARLY    INDIAN    HISTORY. 

of  Crow  Wiiif  River,  thence  to  its  source.  The 
Saux  and  Foxes  and  the  Sioux  were  recognized  to 
be  the  owners  of  all  territory  lying  west  of  the 
Mississippi  and  south  of  the  Crow  Wing  River. 
The  Chippewas,  by  this  treaty,  were  recognized 
as  the  owners  of  all  lands  east  of  the  Mississippi 
in  the  territory  of  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota, 
and  north  of  the  Crow  Wing  River  on  both  side^v 
of  the  INIississippi  to  the  British  Possessions,  alho 
Lake  Superior  country  on  both  sides  of  the  lake 
to  Sault  Ste.  Marie  and  beyond.  The  otlier 
tribes  mentioned  in  this  council  had  no  intere^^t 
in  tlu  above  divided  territory  from  the  fact  that 
their  possessions  were  east  and  south  of  the 
Chippewa  Country,  and  over  their  title  there 
was  no  dispute.  The  division  lines  were  agreed 
to  as  described  and  a  treaty  signed.  Wlien  all 
shook  hands  and  covenanted  with  each  otlier  to 
live  in  peace  for  all  time  to  come. 

In  1837  the  Government  entered  into  a  treaty 
with  the  Chippewas  of  the  Mississippi  and  St. 
Croix  Rivers  at  St.  Peter,  Minnesota,  Col.  Snell- 
ing,  of  the  army,  and  Maj.  Walker,  of  Missouri, 
being  the  commissioners  on  the  part  of  the  Gov- 
ernment, and  it  appears  that  at  the  commence- 
ment of  this  council  the  anxiety  on  the  part  of 
the  commissioners  to  perfect  a  treaty  was  so 
great  that  statements  were  made  by  them  favor- 
able to  the  Indians,  and  understood  perfectly  l>y 
them,  that  were  not  afterwards  incorporated  in 
tlie  treaty.  The  Indians  were  told  by  these 
commissioners  that  the  great  father  had  sent 
them  to  buy  their  pine  timber  and  their  miner- 
als that  were  hidden  in  the  earth,  and  that  the 


EARLY    INDIAN    HISTORY.  ] 

great  father  was  very  anxious  to  dig  the  mi] 
eral,  for  of  such  material  he  made  guns  an 
knives  for  the  Indians,  and  copper  kettles  i 
which  to  boil  their  sugar  sap.  ' '  The  timber  yo 
inake  but  little  use  of  is  tlie  pine  your  gre^ 
father  wants  to  build  many  steamboats,  1 
bring  your  goods  to  you  and  to  take  you  1 
Washington  bye-and-bye  to  see  your  great  fath( 
and  meet  him  face  to  face.  He  does  not  wai 
your  lands,  it  is  too  cold  up  here  for  faimini 
He  wants  just  enough  of  it  to  build  little  towi 
where  soldiers  stop,  mining  camps  for  miner 
saw  mill  sites  and  logging  camps.  The  timb( 
that  is  best  for  you  the  great  father  does  nc 
care  about.  The  maple  tree  that  you  make  yoi 
sugar  from,  the  birch  tree  that  you  get  hsii 
from  for  your  canoes  and  from  which  you  mal 
pails  for  your  sugar  sap,  the  cedar  from  whic 
you  get  material  for  making  canoes,  oars  an 
paddles,  your  great  father  cares  nothing  for.  '. 
is  the  pine  and  minerals  that  he  wants  and  li 
has  sent  us  here  to  make  a  liargain  with  yo 
for  it,"  the  conunissioners  said.  And  furthe 
the  Indians  were  told  and  distinctly  understoo 
that  they  were  not  to  lie  disturbed  in  the  po 
session  of  their  lands  so  long  as  tneir  men  b 
haved  themselves.  They  were  told  also  tlif 
the  Chippewas  had  always  been  good  Indiar 
and  the  great  father  thought  very  nuich  of  thei 
on  that  account,  and  with  these  promises  fairl 
and  distinctly  understood  they  signed  the  treat 
that  ceded  to  the  government  all  their  territoi 
lying  east  of  the  Mississippi,  embracing  the  S 
Croix  district  and  east  to  the  Chippewa  Rive: 


12  EARLY    INDIAN    HISTORY. 

but  to  my  certain  knowledge  the  Indians  never 
knew  that  they  had  ceded  their  lands  until  1849, 
when  they  were  asked  to  remove  therefrom. 

In  1842  Robert  Stewart,  on  the  part  of  the 
government,  perfected  a  treaty  at  La  Pointe,  on 
Lake  Superior,  in  which  the  Chippewas  of  the 
St.  Croix  and  Superior  country  ceded  all  that 
portion  of  their  territory,  from  the  boundary  of 
the  former  treaty  of  1837,  with  the  Chippewas 
of  the  Mississippi  and  St.  Croix  Indians,  east 
and  along  the  south  shore  of  the  lake  to  the 
Choco'ate  River,  Michigan,  territory.  No  con- 
versation that  was  had  at  this  time  gave  the 
Indians  an  inkling  or  caused  them  to  mistrust 
that  they  were  ceding  away  their  lands,  but 
supposed  that  they  were  simply  selling  the  pine 
and  minerals,  as  they  had  in  the  treaty  of  1837, 
and  when  they  were  told,  in  1849,  to  move  on 
and  thereby  abandon  their  burying  grounds — 
the  dearest  thing  to  an  Indian  known — they 
began  to  hold  councils  and  to  ask  each  as  to 
how  they  had  understood  the  treaties,  and  all 
understood  them  the  same,  that  was :  That 
they  were  never  to  be  disturbed  if  they  behaved 
themselves.  Messengers  were  sent  out  to  all  the 
different  bands  in  every  part  of  their  country  to 
get  the  understanding  of  all  the  people,  and  to 
inquire  if  any  depredations  had  been  committed 
by  any  of  their  !young  men,  or  what  could  be 
the  reason  for  this  sudden  order  to  move.  This 
was  kept  up  for  a  year,  but  no  reason  could  be 
assigned  by  the  Indians  for  the  removal  order. 

The  treaty  of  1842  made  at  La  Pointe  stipu- 
lated that  the  Indians  should  receive  their  annu- 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY.  13 

ities  at  La  Pointe  for  a  period  of  twenty -five 
years.  Now  by  reason  of  a  non-compliance  with 
the  order  to  move  away,  the  annuity  payment 
at  La  Pointe  had  been  stopped  and  a  new  agency 
established  at  Sandy  Lake,  near  the  Mississippi 
River,  and  their  annuities  taken  there,  and  the 
Indians  told  to  go  there  for  them,  and  to  bring 
along  their  women  and  children,  and  to  remain 
there,  and  all  that  did  not  would  be  deprived 
of  their  pay  and  annuities. 

In  the  fall  of  1851,  and  after  all  the  messen- 
gers had  returned  that  had  been  sent  out  to 
inquire  after  the  cause  for  the  removal  orders, 
the  chiefs  gathered  in  council,  and  after  the 
subject  had  been  thoroughly  canvassed,  agreed 
that  representatives  from  all  parts  of  the  coun- 
try should  be  sent  to  the  new  agency  and  see 
what  the  results  of  such  a  visit  would  be.  .  A 
delegation  was  made  up,  consisting  of  about  500 
men  in  all.  They  reached  the  new  agency  about 
September  lOtli  of  that  year.  The  agent  there 
informed  them  that  rations  should  be  furnished 
to  them  until  such  time  as  he  could  get  the 
goods  and  money  from  St.  Paul. 

Some  time  in  the  latter  part  of  the  month  we 
were  surprised  to  hear  that  the  new  agency  had 
burned  down,  and,  as  the  word  came  to  us,  '  'had 
taken  the  goods  and  money  into  the  ashes." 
The  agent  immediately  started  down  the  river, 
and  we  saw  no  more  of  him  for  some  time. 
Crowds  of  Indians  and  a  few  white  men  soon 
gathered  around  the  burnt  remains  of  the 
agency  and  waited  until  it  should  cool  down, 
when  a  thorough  search  was  made  in  the  ashes 


14  EARLY   INDIAN    HISTORY. 

for  melted  coin  that  muBt  be  there  if  tiie  story 
was  true  that  goods  and  money  had  gone  down 
together.  They  scraped  and  scratched  in  vain 
All  that  was  ever  found  in  that  ruin  in  the 
shape  of  metal  was  two  fifty  cent  silver  pieces. 
The  Indians,  having  no  chance  to  talk  with  the 
agent,  could  find  out  nothing  of  which  they 
wished  to  know.  They  camped  around  the 
commissary  department  and  were  fed  on  the 
very  worst  class  of  sour,  musty  pork  heads,  jaws, 
shoulders  and  shanks,  rotten  corned  beef  and 
the  poorest  quality  of  flour  that  could  possibly 
be  milled.  In  the  course  of  the  next  month  no 
fewer  than  1 50  Indians  had  died  from  the  use 
of  these  r(4ten  provisions,  and  the  remainder 
resolved  to  stay  no  longer,  and  started  back  for 
La  Pointe. 

At  Fond  du  Lac,  Minnesota,  some  of  the  em- 
ployees of  the  American  Fur  Co.  urged  the  Indi- 
.  ans  to  lialt  there  and  wait  for  the  agent  to  come, 
and  finally  showed  them  a  message  from  the 
agent  requesting  tli'.m  to  stop  at  Fond  du  Lac, 
and  stated  that  he  had  inocured  money  and 
goods  and  would  i)ay  them  off  at  that  point, 
which  lie  did  during  tlie  winter  of  1851.  About 
500  Indians  gathered  there  and  were  paid,  each 
one  receiving  four  dollavs  in  money  and  a  very 
small  goods  annuity.  Before  preparing  to  leave 
for  home  the  Indians  wanted  co  know  of  the 
agent,  John  S.  Waters,  what  he  was  going  to 
do  with  the  remainder  of  the  money  and  'goods. 
He  answered  that  he  was  going  to  keep  it  and 
those  who  should  come  there  lor  it  would  get 
their  share  and  those  that  did  not  would  get 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY.  15 

nothing.  The  Indians  were  now  thoroughly 
disgusted  and  discouraged,  and  piling  their 
little  bundles  of  annuity  goods  ^into  two  piles 
agreed  with  each  other  that  a  game  of  lacrosse 
should  be  played  on  the  ice  for  tlie  whole  stock. 
The  Lake  Superior  Indians  were  to  choose 
twenty  men  from  among  them  and  the  interior 
Indians  the  same  number.  The  game  was  play- 
ed, lasting  three  cTays,  and  resulting  in  a  victory 
for  the  interiors.     During  all  this  time  councils 

were  l^eing  held  and  dissatisfaction  was  show- 
ing itself  on  every  hand.  Threats  were  freely 
indulged  in  by  the  younger  and  more  resolute 
members  of  the  band,  who  thought  while  they 
tamely  su])mitted  to  outrage  their  case  would 
never  grow  better.  But  the  older  and  more 
considerate  ones  could  not  see  the  case  as  they 
did,  but  all  plainly  saw  there  was  no  way  of 
redress  at  present  and  they  were  compelled  to 
put  up*"  with  just  such  treatment  as  the  agent 
saw  fit  to  inflict  upon  them.  They  now  all  real- 
ized that  they  had  been  induced  to  sign  treaties 
that  they  did  not  understana,  and  had  been  im- 
posed upon.  They  saw  that  when  the  annui- 
ties were  brought  and  they  were  asked  to  touch 
the  pen,  they  had  only  received  what  the  agent 
had  seen  fit  to  give  them,  and  certainly  not  what 
was  their  dues.  They  had  lost  150  warriors  on 
this  one  trip  alone  by  being  fed  on  unwholesome 
provisions,  and  they  reasoned  amo^ig  them- 
selves :  Is  this  what  our  great  father  intended  ? 
If  so  we  may  as  well  go  to  our  old  home  and 


*^ 


16  EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY.       '  ^ 

there  be  slaughtered  where  we  co.n  be  buried  by 
the  side  of  our  relatives  and  friends. 

These  talks  were  kept  up  after  they  had  re- 
turned to  La  Pointe.  I  attended  many  of  them, 
and  being  familiar  with  the  language,  I  saw 
that  great  trouble  was  brewing  and  if  something 
was  not  quickly  done  trouble  of  a  serious  nature 
would  soon  follow.  At  last  I  told  them  if  they 
would  stop  where  they  were  I  would  take  a 
party  of  chiefs,  or  others,  as  they  might  elect, 
numbering  five  or  six,  and  ^  to  Washington, 
where  they  could  meet  the  great  father  and  tell 
their  troubles  to  his  face.  Chief  Buffalo  and 
other  leading  chieftains  of  the  country  at  Once 
agreed  to  the  plan,  and  early  in  the  spring  a 
party  of  six  men  were  selected,  and  April  5th, 
1852,  was  appointed  as  the  day  to  start.  Chiefs 
Buffalo  and  O-slio-ga,  with  four  braves  and 
myself,  made  up  the  party.  On  the  day  of 
starting,  and  before  noon,  there  were  gathered 
at  the  beach  at  old  La  Pointe,  Indians  by  the 
score  to  witness  the  departure.  We  lelt  in  a 
new  birch  bark  canoe  which  was  made  for  the 
occasion  and  called  a  four  fathom  boat,  twenty- 
four  feet  long  with  six  paddles.  The  four 
braves  did  most  of  the  paddling,  assisted  at 
times  by  O-sho-ga  and  sometimes  by  Buffalo.  I 
sat  at  the  stern  and  directed  the  course  of  the 
craft.  We  made  the  mouth  of  the  Montreal 
River,  the  dividing  line  between  Wisconsin  and 
Michigan,  the  first  night,  where  we  went  ashore 
and  camped,  without  covering,  except  our 
blankets.  We  carried  a  small  amount  of  pro- 
visions with  us,  some  crackers,  sugar  and  coffee, 


a 


\\l 


/r^ 


!  r  /V> 


»r 


i.*3 


l>l^ 


iiii; 


11! 


I,   ! 


'!   W 


\M. 


:^=»==4^^ 


'■':       ^^:. 


%v2/ 


EARLY    INDIAN   HISTORY.  17 

and  depended  on  game  and  fish  for  meat.  The 
next  niglit,  having  followed  along  the  beach  all 
day,  we  camped  at  Iron  River.  No  incidents  of 
importance  happened,  and  on  the  third  day  out 
from  La  Pointe,  at  10  a.  m.  we  landed  onr  bark 
at  Ontonagon,  where  we  spent  two  days  in  cir- 
culating a  petition  I  had  prepared,  asking  that 
the  Indians  might  be  left  and  remain  in  their 
own  country,  and  the  order  for  their  removal 
be  reconsidered.  I  did  not  find  a  single  man 
who  refused  to  sign  it,  which  showed  the  feel- 
ing of  the  people  nearest  the  Indians  upon  the 
subject.  From  Ontonagon  we  went  to  Portage 
Lake,  Houghton  and  Hancock,  and  visited  the 
various  copper  mines,  and  all  there  signed  the 
petition.  Among  the  signers  I  would  occasion- 
ally meet  a  man  who  claimed  personal  acquain- 
tance with  the  President  and  said  the  President 
would  recognize  the  signature  when  he  saw  it, 
which  I  found  to  be  so  on  presenting  the  peti- 
tion to  President  Filmore.  Among  them  was 
Thomas  Hanna,  a  merchant  at  Ontonagon, 
Capt.  Roberts,  of  the  Minnesota  mine,  and 
Douglas,  of  the  firm  of  Douglas  &  Sheldon, 
Portage  Lake.  Along  the  coast  from  Portage 
Lake  we  encountered  a  number  of  severe  storms 
which  caused  us  to  go  ashore,  and  we  thereby 
lost  considerable  time.  Stopping  at  Marquette 
I  also  circulated  the  petition  and  procured  a 
great  many  signatures.  Leaving  there  nothing 
was  to  be  seen  except  the  rocky  coast  until  we 
reached  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  w^here  we  arrived  in 
the  afternoon  and  remained  all  the  next  day, 
getting  my  petition  signed  by  all  who  were  dis- 


18 


KARLY    INDIAN   HISTORY. 


H 
i!  • 


posed.  Among  others  who  signed  it  was  a  Mr. 
Brown,  who  was  then  editing  a  paper  there.  He 
also  claimed  personal  acquaintance  with  the 
President  and  gave  mo  two  or  three  letters  of 
introduction  to  parties  in  New  York  CUty,  and 
requested  me  to  call  on  them  when  I  reached 
the  city,  saying  they  ^vould  be  much  pleased  to 
see  the  Indian  chieftains  from  this  country,  and 
that  they  would  assist  me  in  (;ase  I  needed  assis- 
tance, which  I  found  to  be  true. 

The  second  day  at  the  "  Soo''  the  officers  from 
the  fort  came  to  me  with  the  inteligence  that  no 
delegation  of  Indians  would  l^e  allowed  to  go  to 
Washington  without  first  getting  permission 
from  the  government  to  do  so,  as  they  had  orders 
to  stop  and  turn  back  all  delegations  of  Indians 
that  should  attempt  to  come  this  way  en-route 
to  Washington.  This  was  to  me  a  stunner.  In 
what  a  prediciment  I  found  myi^elf.  .To  give  up 
this  trip  would  be  to  abandon  the  last  hope  of 
keeping  that  turbulent  spirit  of  the  young  war- 
riors within  bounds.  Now  they  were  peacably 
inclined  and  would  remain  so  until  our  mission 
should  decide  their  course.  They  were  now 
living  on  the  hope  that  our  efforts  would  obtain 
for  them  the  righting  of  a  grievous  wrong,  but 
to  return  without  anything  accomplished  and 
with  the  information  that  the  great  father's  offic- 
ers liad  turned  us  back  would  be  to  rekindle 
the  fire  that  w^as  smoldering  into  an  op(?n  revolt 
for  revenge.  I  talked  with  the  officers  patiently 
and  long  and  explained  the  situation  of  affairs 
in  the  Indian  country,  and  certainly  it  was  no 
pleasant  task  for  me  to  undertake,  without  pay 


I ' 


■Ill  uvv 


EARLY    INDIAN    HISTORY 


19 


or  hope  of  rewaid,  to  tako  this  delegation 
through,  and  that  I  fc^hould  never  liave  attempt- 
ed it  if  I  had  not  (onyideied  it  neceneaiy  to 
fc*ecuie  tlie  safety  ci  Ihe  Avhile  ^ettleis  in  that 
country,  and  that  filthough  I  wouhl  not  re8ifc4t 
an  officer  or  disobey  mi\  order  of  lh(^ government, 
I  nhould  go  aa  far  a^  I  could  vvith  my  Indianf*, 
and  until  I  ^viiH  flopped  l^y  an  ollicer,  then  I 
would  sim])ly  ^ay  to  the  Indians,  "I  am  pre- 
vented from  going  further.  I  liave  done  all  I 
can.  I  will  rend  you  i\i\  near  homo  as  I  can  get 
conveyanceB  for  you,  l:ut  for  the  present  I  shall 
remain  ?iway  from  that  country,"  The  officers 
at  the  "Soo"'  finally  told  me  to  go  on,  but  they 
said,  "you  ^vill  certainly  be  stopped  at  some 
place,  probably  at  Detroit.  The  Indian  agent 
there  and  the  marshal  1  will  certainly  oppose 
your  going  further."  But  I  was  determined  to 
try,  and  as  soon  as  I  could  get  a  boat  for  Detroit 
we  started.  It  Avas  the  steamer  Northerner, 
and  when  we  landed  in  Detroit,  sure  enough, 
we  were  met  by  the  Indian  agent  and  told  that 
we  could  go  no  further,  at  any  rate  until  next 
day,  or  until  he  could  havg  a  tiilk  with  me  at 
his  oilice.  He  then  sent  u^  to  a  hotel,  saying 
lie  would  see  that  our  bill  was  paid  until  next 
day.  About  7:80  that  evening  1  was  called  to 
his  office  and  had  a  little  talk  with  him  and  the 
marshall.  I  stated  to  them  the  facts  as  they 
existed  in  the  northwest,  and  our  object  in  going 
to  Washington,  and  if  we  were  turned  back  I 
did  not  consider  that  a  white  man's  life  would 
long  be  safe  in  the  Indian  country,  tinder  the 
present  state  of  excitement;  that  our  returning 


20 


KARLV    INDIAN    IIISTOUY. 


I 


111 

if-' 
Ih. 

I 


witliout  seeing  the  Pivsidcnt  would  start  a  fi^e 
that  would  not  hoou  bo  (iuenc;hed.  They  finals 
consented  to  my  passing  as  they  hardly  thou'^iit 
they  could  afford  to  arrest  me,  consicUring  the 
petitions  I  liad  and  the  circumstances  1  liad 
related.  ''But,"  they  also  added,  "we  do  not 
think  you  will  ever  reach  Washington  with  your 
delegation." 

I  thanked  them  for  allowing  us  to  proceed  and 
the  next  morning  sailed  for  Buifalo,  wheio  ^ve 
made  close  connections  Avith  the  liri;-t  lailioad 
cars  any  of  us  had  ever  seen  and  piocecdtdto 
Albany,  at  which  place  we  took  the  feteamer 
Mayilower,  I  think.  At  any  rate  the  boat  wc 
took  w^as  burned  the  same  season  and  w^as  c  oiri- 
manded  by  Capt.  St.  John. 
•  Wo  landed  in  New  York  City  without  miMiap 
and  I  had  just  and  only  one  ten-cent  silver  [liece 
of  money  left.  By  giving  the  'bus  driver  iome 
Indian  trinkets  I  persuaded  him  to  haul  the 
party  and  baggage  to  the  American  House, 
which  then  stood  a  block  or  so  from  Barnum'g 
Theatre.  Here  I  told  the  landlord  of  my  finan- 
cial embarr?i»sment  6,nd  that  we  must  stay  over 
night  at  any  rate  and  in  some  way  the  necessary 
money  to  pay  the  bill  should  be  raised.  I 
found  this  landlord  a  prince  of  good  fellows  and 
was  always  glad  that  I  met  him.  I  told  liim  ol 
the  letters  I  had  to  parties  in  the  city  and  should 
I  fail  in  getting  assistance  from  them  I  should 
exhibit  my  fellows  and  in  this  way  raise  the 
necessary  funds  to  pay  my  bill  and  carry  us  to 
our  destination.  He  thougljt  the  scheme  a  good 
one,  and  that  himself  and  me  were  just  the  ones 


EARLY    INDIAN   HISTORY. 


21 


to  curry  ij:  out.  Iminediately  after  supper  I 
started  out  in  searc-li  of  the  parties  to  whom  I 
liaci  letters  of  iutrodw^tiou,  and  witli  the  hiiul- 
lord's  help  iu  giving  mo  directions,  I  soon  found 
one  of  them,  a  stock  broker,  whose  name  I  can- 
not lenK^nber,  or  the  street  on  which,  he  lived. 
He  returned  with  me  to  the  hotel,  and  after 
looking  the  Indians  over,  he  said,  ''You  are  all 
right.  Stay  where  you  are  and  I  will  see  that 
you  have  inonej  to  carry  you  through."  The 
next  day  I  put  the  Indians  on  exhibition  at  the 
hotel,  and  a  great  many  people  came  to  see 
them,  most  of  whom  contributed  freely  to  the 
fund  to  carry  us  to  our  destination.  On  the 
second  evening  of  the  exhibition  this  stock 
broker  came  with  his  wife  to  tlie  sho  x,  and  upon 
taking  his  leave,  invited  me  to  bring  the  dele- 
gation to  liis  house  the  next  afternoon,  where  a 
number  of  ladies  of  their  acquaintance  couJd 
see  them  without  tlie  embarrasment  they  v^ould 
feel  at  the  show  room.  To  this  1  assented,  and 
the  landlord  being  present,  said  he  would  assist 
by  furnishing  the  conveyance.  But  when  the 
'bus  was  brought  up  in  front  of  tlie  liouse  the 
next  day  for  the  purpose  of  taking  the  Tiidians 
aboard,  the  crowd  ]:)ecame  so  dense  that  it  was 
found  impossible  to  get  them  into  it,  and  it  was 
with  some  difTiculty  that  they  were  gotten  back 
to  their  room.  We  saw  it  v/ould  not  be  possible 
to  get  them  across  the  city  on  foot  or  by  any 
method  yet  devised.  I  despatched  a  note  to  the 
broker  stating  how  matters  stood,  and  in  less 
than  liaif  an  hour  himself  and  wife  were  at  the 
hotel,  and  the  ready  wit  of  this  little  lady  soon 


99 


EARLY    INDIAN    HISTORY. 


had  a  plan  arranged  by  which  the  Indians  could 
be  safely  taken  from  the  house  and  to  her  home 
without  detection  or  annoyance.  The  plan  was 
to  postpone  the  supper  she  had  arranged  for  in 
the  afternoon  until  evening,  and  that  after  dark 
the  'bus  could  be  placed  in  the  alley  back  of  the 
hotel  and  the  Indian;^  got  into  it  without  being 
observed.  The  plan  was  carefully  carried  out 
by  the  landlord.  The  crowd  was  frustrated  and 
by  9  p.  ni.  we  were  whirling  through  the  streets 
with  shaded  'bus  wiiiflows  to  the  home  of  the 
broker,  which  we  reached  without  any  inter- 
ruption, and  were  met  at  the  door  by  the  little 
lady  whose  tact  had  made  the  visit  possible,  and 
I  hope  she  may  now  be  living  to  read  this  ac- 
count of  that  visit,  Avhich  was  nearly  thirty- 
nine  years  ago.  We  found  some  thirty  or  forty 
young  people  present  to  see  us,  and  I  think  a 
few  old  persons.  The  supper  was  prepared  and 
all  were  anxious  to  see  the  red  men  of  the  for- 
est at  a  white  man's  table.  You  can  imagine 
my  own  feelings  on  this  occasion,  for,  like  the 
Indians,  I  had  been  brought  up  in  a  wilderness, 
entirely  unaccustomed  t  the  society  of  refined 
and  educated  people,  and  here  I  Avas  surrounded 
by  them  and  the  luxuries  of  a  finished  home, 
and  with  th(!  conduct  of  my  wards  to  be 
accounted  for,  I  was  forced  to  an  awkvv\ivd 
apology,  which  was,  however,  received  with 
that  graciousness  of  manner  that  made  me  feel 
almost  at  home.  Being  thus  assured  and 
advised  that  our  visit  was  contemplated  for  the 
purpose  of  seeing  us  as  nearly  in  our  native 
'ways  and  customs  as  was  possible,  and  that  no 


■'■•"■  'if  r 


,j.    INDIAN   HISTORY 


23 


offense  ^ould  be  taken  at  any  breach  of  eti- 
quette, but,  on  the  contrary,  they  should  be 
highly  gratified  if  we  would  proceed  in  all 
tilings  as  was  our  habit  in  the  wilderness,  and 
the  hostess,  addressing  me,  said  it  was  the  wish 
of  those  present  that  in  eating  their  supper  the 
Indians  would  conform  strictly  to  their  home 
habits,  to  insure  which,  as  supper  was  then 
being  put  in  readiness  for  them,  i  told  the 
Indians  that  when  the  meal  had  been  set  before 
them  on  the  table,  they  should  rise  up  and  push- 
ing their  chairs  back,  seat  themselves  upon  the 
floor,  taking  with  them  only  the  plate  of  food 
and  the  knife.  They  did  this  nicely,  and  the 
meal  was  taken  in  i:rue  Indian  style,  much  to 
the  gratification  of  the  assemblage.  When  the 
meal  was  completed  each  man  placed  his  knife 
and  plate  back  upon  the  table,  and,  moving 
back  towards  the  walls  of  the  room,  seated  him- 
self upon  the  floor  in  true  Indian  fashion. 

As  the  party  had  now  seen  enough  to  furnish 
them  with  tea  table  chat,  they  ate  their  supper 
and  after  they  had  finished  requested  a  speech 
from  the  Indians,  at  least  that  each  one  should 
say  something  that  they  might  hear  and  which 
I  could  i^^terpret  to  the  party.  Chief  O-sha-ga 
spoke  firbfc,  thanking  the  people  for  their  kind- 
ness. Buffalo  came  next  and  said  he  was  get- 
ting old  and  wao  luuch  impressed  by  the  man- 
ner of  white  people  and  showed  considerable 
feeling  at  the  nice  way  in  which  they  had  been 
treated  there  and  generally  upon  the  route. 

Our  hostess,  seeing  that  I  spoke  the  language 
fluently,  requested  thr.t  I  make  them  a  speech 


I 


•Ir 


24 


?:ARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 


in  the  Chippewa  tongue.  To  do  thiB  ?o  they 
wouhl  understand  it  best  I  tokl  them  a  story  in 
the  Indian  tongue.  It  was  a  little  story  about 
a  monkey  wdiich  I  had  often  told  the  IndiauB  at 
home  and  it  was  a  fable  that  always  caused 
great  uierriment  among  them,  for  a  monkey 
was,  in  their  estimation,  the  cutest  and  most 
wonderful  creature  in  the  world,  an  opinion 
which  they  hold  to  the  present  time.  This 
speech  proved  to  be  the  hit  of  the  evenir-^.  for 
I  had  no  sooner  commenced  (though  ^^ly  '/er- 
sation  was  directed  to  the  white  people),  than 
the  Indians  began  to  laugh  and  cut  up  all  man- 
ner of  pranks,  which,  combined  with  the  ludi- 
crousness  of  the  story  itself,  caused  a  general 
uproar  of  laughter  by  all  present  and  once,  if 
never  again,  the  fashionably  dressed  and  beau- 
tiful ladies  of  New  York  City  vied  with  each 
other  and  with  the  dusky  aborigines  of  the  west 
in  trying  to  show  which  one  of  all  enjoyed  best 
the  festivities.  The  rest  of  the  evening  and 
until  about  two  o'clock  next  morning  was  spent 
in  answering  questions  about  our  western  home 
and  its  people,  when  w^e  returned  to  the  hotel 
pleased  and  happy  over  the  evening's  entertain- 
ment. 


'i 


CHAPTER  IT. 


In  Washington. — Told  to  Go  Home. — Senator 
Briggs,  of  New  York. — The  Interviews  with 
President  Fillmore. — Reversal  of  the  Re- 
moval Order. — The  Trip  Home. — Treaty  of 
1854  AND  the  Reservations. — The  Mile 
Square. — The  Blinding. 

After  a  few  days  more  in  New  York  City  I 
had  raised  tlie  necessary  funds  to  redeem  the 
trinkets  pledged  with  the  'bus  driver  and  to 
pay  my  hotel  bills,  etc.,  and  on  the  22d  day  of 
June,  1852,  we  had  the  good  fortune  to  arrive 
in  Washington. 

I  took  my  party  to  the  Metropolitan  Hotel 
and  engaged  a  room  on  the  first  lioor  near  the 
office  for  the  Indians,  as  they  said  they  did  not 
like  to  get  up  to  high  in  a  white  man's  house. 
As  they  required  but  a  couple  mattresses  for 
their  lodgings  they  were  soon  made  comfort- 
able. I  requested  the  steward  to  serve  their 
meals  in  their  room,  as  I  did  not  wish  to  take 


I  lit 


26  EARLY  INDIAN  HISTORY. 

them  into  the  dining  room  among  distinguished 
people,  and  their  meals  were  thus  served. 

The  morning  following  our  arrival  I  set  out 
in  search  of  the  Interior  Department  of  the 
Government  to  find  the  Commissioner  of  Indian 
Affairs,  to  request  an  interview  with  him,  which 
he  declined  to  grant  and  said: 

"I  want  you  to  take  your  Indians  away  on 
the  next  train  Avest,  as  they  have  come  here 
without  permission,  and  I  do  not  want  to  see 
you  or  hear  of  your  Indians  again. " 

I  undertook  to  make  explanations,  but  he 
would  not  listen  to  me  and  ordered  me  from 
his  office.  I  went  to  the  sidewalk  completely 
discouraged,  for  my  present  means  was  insuffi- 
cient to  take  them  home.  I  paced  up  and  down 
the  sidewalk  pondering  over  what  was  best  to 
do,  when  a  gentleman  came  along  and  of  him  I 
inquired  the  way  to  tlie  office  of  the  Secretary 
of  the  Interior.  He  passed  right  along  saying, 
"This  way,  sh",  this  way,  sir  ;"  and  I  followed 
him.  He  entered  a  side  door  just  back  of  the 
Indian  Commissioner's  office  and  up  a  short 
flight  of  stairs,  and  going  in  behind  a  railing, 
divested  himself  of  hat  and  cane,  and  said  : 

"What  can  I  do  for  you  sir." 

I  told  him  who  I  was,  what  my  party  con- 
sisted of,  where  we  came  from  and  the  object  of 
our  visit,  as  briefly  as  possible.  He  replied  that 
I  nuist  go  and  see  the  Commissioner  of  Indian 
Affairs  just  down  stairs.  I  told  him  I  had  been 
there  and  the  treatment  I  had  received  at  his 
liands,  then  he  said  : 

' '  Did  you  have  permission  to  come,  .and  why 


EARLY    INDIAN   HISTORY. 


27 


did  you  not  go  to  your  agent  in  the  west  for 
permission  V 

I  then  attempted  to  explain  that  we  liad  been 
to  the  agent,  but  could  get  no  satisfaction ;  but 
he  stopped  me  in  the  middle  of  my  explanation, 
saying  : 

' '  I  can  do  nothing  for  you.  You  must  go  to 
the  Indian  Commissioner, "  and  turning,  began 
a  conversation  with  his  clerk  who  was  there 
when  we  went  in. 

I  walked  out  more  discouraged  than  ever  and 
could  not  imagine  what  next  I  could  do.  I 
wandered  around  the  city  and  to  the  Capitol, 
thinkiii'Jr  I  might  find  some  one  I  had  seen 
before,  but  in  this  I  failed  and  returned  to  the 
hotel,  where,  in  the  office  I  found  Buffalo  sur- 
rounded by  a  crowd  who  Avere  trying  to  make 
him  understand  them  and  among  them  was  the 
steward  of  tlie  1  juse.  On  my  entering  the 
office  and  Bufialo  recognizing  me,  the  assem- 
blage, seeing  I  knew  him,  turned  their  atten- 
tion to  me,  asking  Avho  he  was^  etc.,  to  all  of 
which  questions  I  an^-wered  an  briefly  as  pos- 
sible, by  stating  that  lie  was  tlie  head  chief  of 
of  the  Chippewas  of  the  Northwest.  The  stew- 
ard then  asked:  "Why  don't  you  take  him  int<) 
the  dining  room  with  you?  Certainly  such  a 
distinguished  man  as  lie,  the  head  of  the  Chip- 
pewa people,  should  have  at  least  that  privilege." 
I  did  so  and  as  we  passed  into  the  dining 
room  we  were  shown  to  a  table  in  one  cornt  r  of 
the  room  which  was  unoccupied.  We  had  only 
been  seated  a  few  moments  v%hen  a  couple 
of  gentlemen  who  had  been  occupying  seats  in 


38 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 


another  part  of  the  dining  room  came  over  and 
Hat  at  our  table  and  said  that  if  there  were  no 
objections  they  would  like  to  talk  with  us. 
They  asked  about  the  party,  where  from,  the 
object  of  the  visit,  etc.  I  answered  them  briefly, 
supposing  them  to  be  reporters  and  I  did  not 
care  to  give  them  too  much  information.  One 
of  these  gentlemen  asked  what  room  we  had, 
saying  that  himself  and  one  or  two  others  would 
like  to  call  on  us  right  after  dinner.  I 
directed  them  where  to  come  and  said  I  would 
be  there  to  meet  them. 

About  ^2  o'clock  they  came,  and  then  for  the 
first  time  I  knew  who  those  gentlemen  were. 
One  was  Senator  Briggs,  of  New  York,  and  the 
others  were  members  of  President  Filmore's  cabi- 
net, and  after  I  had  told  them  more  fully  what 
had  taken  me  there,  and  the  difficulties  I  had 
met  with,  and  they  had  consulted  a  little  while 
aside,  Senator  Briggs  said  : 

"We  will  undertake  to  get  you  and  your 
people  an  interview  witli  the  President,  and  will 
notify  you  here  when  a  meeting  can  be 
arranged. "  During  the  afternoon  I  was  noti- 
fied that  an  interview  had  been  arranged  for 
the  next  afternoon  at  3  o'clock.  During  the 
evening  Senator  Briggs  and  other  friends  called, 
and  the  whole  matter  was  talked  over  and  pre- 
parations made  for  the  interview  the  following 
day,  which  were  continued  the  next  day  until 
the  hour  set  for  the  interview. 

When  we  were  assembled  Buffalo's  first  re- 
quest was  that  all  be  seated,  as  he  had  the  pipe 
of  peace  to  present,  and  hoped  that  all  who  were 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 


•jy 


present  would  partake  of  smoke  from  the  peace 
pipe.  The  pipe,  a  new  one  brought  for  the  pur- 
pose, was  filled  and  lighted  by  Buffalo  and 
passed  to  the  President  who  took  two  or  three 
draughts  from  it,  and  smiling  said,  "Who  is 
the  next?"  at  which  Buffalo  pointed  out  Senator 
Briggs  and  desired  he  should  be  the  next.  The 
Senator  smoked  and  the  pipe  was  passed  to  me 
and  others,  including  the  Commissioner  of 
Indian  Affairs,  Secretary  of  the  Interior  and 
several  others  whose  names  I  did  not  learn  or 
cannot  recall.  From  them  to  Buffalo,  then  to 
O-sho-ga,  and  from  him  to  the  four  braves  in 
turn,  which  completed  that  part  of  the  cere- 
mony. The  pipe  was  then  taken  from  the  stem 
and  handed  to  me  for  safe  keeping,  never  to  be 
used  again  on  any  occasion.  I  have,  the  pipe 
still  in  my  possession  and  the  instructions  of 
Buffalo  have  been  faithfully  kept.  The  old 
chief  now  rose  fro^n  his  seat,  the  balance  fol- 
lowing his  example  and  marched  in  single  file 
to  the  President  and  the  general  hand-shaking 
that  was  began  with  the  President  was  contin- 
ued by  the  Indians  with  all  those  present. 
This  over  Boffalo  said  his  under  chief,  O-sha-ga, 
would  state  the  object  of  our  visit  and  he  hoped 
the  great  father  would  give  them  some  guaran- 
tee that  would  quiet  the  excitement  in  his  coun- 
try and  keep  his  young  men  peaceable.  After 
I  had  this  speech  thoroughly  interpreted,  O-sha- 
ga  began  and  spoke  for  nearly  an  hour.  He 
]:>egan  with  the  treaty  of  1837  and  showed 
plainly  what  the  Indians  understood  the  treaty 
to  be.     He  next  took  up  the  treaty  of  1842  and 


30 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 


said  he  did  not  uiulerHtaiid  that  in  either  treaty 
tliey  liad  ceded  away  the  land  and  he  further 
inulerstoofl  in  ))()th  eayes  that  the  Indians  were 
}\ever  to  l)o  asked  to  remove  from  the  lands 
included  in  tlioi.(;  treatiets,  provided  they  were 
])ea((>able  and  behaved  tlunnselves  and  this  they 
iiad  (lone.  When  the  order  to  move  came  Chief 
Buflalo  pent  runners  out  in  all  directions  to  seek 
for  ix^iii  onrt  and  cauj^es  for  tlu^  order,  but  all 
thos(5  UKii  leturned  without  linding  a  single 
reason  p.inong'  all  the  SupcMior  and  Mississippi 
^n  liaiiL?  wliy  llie  great  father  had  become  (lis- 
p' eased.  When  O-sha-ga  had  finished  his  speech. 
I  presented  tlie  petition  I  had  brought  and 
quickly  discovered  that  the  President  did  recog- 
nize some,  namen  upon  it,  which  gave  me  new 
courage.  When  th(3  reacting  and  examination 
of  it  had  been  concluded  the  mec^ting  was 
adjourn.ed,  the  President  directing  the  Indian 
Commissioner  to  say  to  the  landlord  at  the  hotel 
that  our  hotel  bills  would  be  paid  by  the  gov- 
ernment. Ho  also  directed  that  we  were  to 
have  the  freedom  of  the  city  for  a  week. 

The  second  day  following  this  Senator  Briggs 
informed  me  that  the  President  desired  another 
interview  that  day,  in  accordance  with  which 
request  we  went  to  the  White  House  soon  after 
dinner  and  meeting  the  President,  he  told  the 
delegation  in  a  brief  speech  that  he  w^ould  coun- 
termand the  removal  order  and  that  the 
annuity  payments  w^ould  be  made  at  La  Pointe 
as  liefore  and  hoped  that  in  the  future  there 
would  be  no  further  cause  for  complaint.  At 
this  he  handed  to  Buffalo  a  written  instrument 


EARLY  INDIAN  HISTORY. 


31 


which  he  said  would  explain  to  his  people  when 
interpreted  the  promises  he  had  made  as  to  the 
removal  order  and  payment  of  annuities  at  La 
Pointe  and  hoped  when  he  had  returned  home 
he  would  call  his  chiefs  together  and  have  all 
the  statements  therein  contained  explained  fully 
to  them  as  the  words  of  their  great  father  at 
Washington. 

The  reader  can  imagine  the  great  load  that 
was  then  removed  from  my  shoulders  for  it  was 
a  pleasing  termination  of  the  long  and  tedious 
struggle  I  had  made  in  behalf  of  the  untutored 
but  trustworthy  savage. 

On  June  28th,  1852,  we  started  on  our  return 
trip,  going  by  cars  to  La  Crosse,  Wis. ,  thence  by 
steamboat  to  St.  Paul,  thence  by  Indian  trail 
across  the  country  to  Lake  Superior.  On  our 
way  from  St.  Paul  we  frequently  met  bands  of 
Indians  of  the  Chippewa  tribe  to  whom  we 
explained  our  mission  and  its  results,  which 
caused  great  rejoicing,  and  before  leaving  these 
bands  BuiTalo  would  tell  their  chief  to  send  a 
delegation,  at  the  expiration  of  two  moons,  to 
meet  him  in  grand  council  at  La  Pointe,  for 
there  was  many  things  he  wanted  to  say  to  them 
about  what  he  had  seen  and  the  nice  manner  in 
which  he  had  been  received  and  treated  by  the 
great  father. 

At  the  time  appointed  by  Buffalo  for  tlie^ 
grand  council  at  La  Pointe,  the  delegates  assem- 
bled and  the  message  given  Buffalo  by  President 
Filmore  was  interpreted,  which  gave  the  Indians 
great  satisfaction.  Before  the  grand  council 
adjourned  word  was  received  that  their  annu- 


I    tHM 


S2 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 


I   i 


ities  would  be  given  to  them  at  La  Pointe  about 
the  middle  of  October,  thuH  giving  them  time  to 
get  together  to  receive  them.  A  number  of 
measengers  was  immediately  Bent  out  to  all  parts 
of  the  territory  to  notify  them  and  by  the  time 
the  goods  arrived,  which  was  about  Octoljer 
15th,  the  remainder  of  the  Indians  had  ( ongre- 
gated  at  La  Pointe.  On  that  date  the  Indians 
were  enrolled  and  the  annuities  paid  and  the 
most  perfect  satisfaction  was  apparent  among  all 
concerned.  The  jubilee  that  was  held  to  express 
their  gratitude  to  the  delegation  that  had 
secured  a  countermanding  order  in  the  removal 
matter  was  almost  extravagantly  profuse.  The 
letter  of  the  great  father  was  explained  to  them 
all  during  the  progress  of  the  annuity  payments 
and  Chief  Buffalo  explained  to  the  convention 
what  he  had  seen;  how  the  pipe  of  peace  liad 
been  smoked  in  the  great  father's  wigwam  and 
as  that  pipe  was  the  only  emblem  and  reminder 
of  their  duties  yet  to  come  in  keeping  peace  with 
his  white  children,  he  requested  that  the  pipe 
be  retained  by  me.  He  then  went  on  and  said 
that  th-^re  was  yet  one  more  treaty  to  be  made 
with  .e  great  father  and  he  hoped  in  making 
it  they  would  be  more  careful  and  wise  than 
they  had  heretofore  been  and  reserve  a  part  of 
their  land  for  themselves  and  their  children.  It 
was  here  that  he  told  his  people  that  he  had 
selected  and  adopted  me  as  his  son  and  that  I 
would  hereafter  look  to  treaty  matters  and  see 
that  in  the  next  treaty  they  did  not  sell  them- 
selves out  and  become  homeless  ;.that  as  he  was 
getting  old  and  must  soon  leave  his  entire  carea 


En(!()Untkred  on  the  Tpip  to  Washington. 


1!   ! 


'"WIJV^ 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 


88 


to  others,  he  hoped  they  would  li7*en  to  me  as 
his  confidence  in  his  adopted  son  was  great  and 
tliat  when  treaties  were  presented  for  them  to 
sign  they  would  listen  to  me  and  follow  my 
advice,  assuring  them  that  in  doing  so  they 
would  not  again  be  deceived. 

After  this  gathering  of  the  Indians  there  was 
not  much  of  interest  in  the  Indian  country  that 
I  can  recall  until  the  next  annual  payment  in 
1853.  This  payment  was  made  at  La  Pointe  and 
the  Indians  had  been  notified  that  commisBion- 
ers  would  be  appointed  to  make  another  treaty 
with  them  for  the  remainder  of  Hieir  territory. 
This  was  the  territory  lying  in  Minnesota  west 
of  Lake  Superior;  also  east  and  west  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi river  north  to  the  territory  belonging  to 
the  Boisfort  and  Pillager  tribe,  who  are  a  part 
of  the  Chippewa  nation,  but  through  some  ar- 
rangement between  themselves,  were  detached 
from  the  main  or  more  numerous  body.  It  was 
at  this  payment  that  the  Chippewa  Indians 
proper  desired  to  have  one  dollar  each  taken 
from  their  annuities  to  recompense  me  for  the 
trouble  and  expense  I  had  been  to  on  the  trip  to 
Washington  in  their  behalf,  but  I  refused  to 
accept  it  by  reason  of  their  very  impecunious 
condition. 

It  was  sometime  in  August,  1854,  before  the 
commissioners  carrived  at  LaPointe  to  make  the 
treaty  and  pay  the  annuities  of  that  year.  Mes- 
sengers were  despatched  to  notify  all  Indians  of 
the  fact  that  the  great  father  had  sent  for  them 
to  come  to  La  Pointe  to  get  their  money  and 
clothing  and  to  meet  the  government  commis- 


ii 


I  i 


d4 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 


eioners  who  wished  to  make  another  treaty  with 
them  for  the  territory  lying  west  of  Lake  Super- 
ior and  they  were  further  instructed  to  have  the 
Indians  council  among  themselves  before  start- 
ing that  those  who  came  could  be  able  to  tell 
the  wishes  of  any  that  might  .remain  away  in 
regards  to  a  further  treaty  and  disposition  of 
their  lands.  Representatives  came  from  all 
'\arts  of  the  Chippewa  country  and  showed  a 
willingness  to  treat  away  the  balance  of  their 
country.  Henry  C.  Gilbert,  the  Indian  agent 
at  La  Pointe,  formerly  of  Ohio,  and  David  B. 
Herriman,  the  agent  for  the  Chippewas  of  the 
Mississippi  country,  were  the  commissioners 
appointed  by  the  government  to  consumate  this 
treaty. 

While  we  were  waiting  the  arrival  of  the 
interior  Indians  I  had  frequent  talks  with  the 
commissioners  and  learned  what  their  instruc- 
tions V  ere  and  about  what  they  intended  to 
offer  for  the  lands  which  iiJ'ormation  I  would 
communicate  to  Chief  Bufl^alo  and  other  head 
men  in  our  immediate  vicinity,  and  ample  time 
was  had  to  perfect  our  plans  i3efore  the  others 
should  arrive,  and  when  they  did  put  in  an 
appearance  we  were  ready  to  submit  to  them  our 
views  for  appi^^^al  or  rejection.  Knowing  as  I 
did  the  Indians'  unwillingness  to  give  up  and 
,  forsake  their  old  burying  grounds  I  would  not 
agree  to  any  proposition  that  would  take  away 
the  remainder  of  their  lands  without  a  reserve 
sufficient  to  afford  them  homes  for  themselves 
and  posterity,  and  as  fast  ae  they  arrived  I 
counselled  with  them  upon  thd  subject  and  to 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY.  I 

ascertain  where  they  preferred  these  reserves  to 
be  located.  The  scheme  being  a  new  one  to 
them  it  required  time  and  much  talk  to  get  the 
matter  before  them  in  its  proper  light  Finally 
it  was  agreed  by  all  before  the  meeting  of  the 
council  that  no  one  would  sign  a  treaty  that  did 
not  give  them  reservations  at  different  points  of 
the  country  that  would  suit  their  convenience, 
that  should  afterwards  be  considered  their  bona- 
fide  home.  Maps  were  drawn  of  the  different 
tracts  that  had  been  selected  by  the  various 
chiefs  for  their  reserve  and  permanent  home. 
The  reservations  were  as  follows:  One  at  L'Anse 
Bay,  one  at  Ontonagon,  one  at  Lac  Flambeau, 
one  at  Court  O'Rilles,  one  at  Bad  River,  one  at 
Red  Cliff  or  Buffalo  Bay,  one  at  Fond  du  I  "c, 
Minn. ,  and  one  at  Grand  Portage,  Minn.  Tne 
boundaries  were  to  be  as  near  as  possible  by 
metes  and  bounds  or  waterways  and  courses. 
This  was  all  agreed  to  by  the  Lake  Superior 
Indians  before  the  Mississippi  Chippewas  arrived 
and  w^.s  to  be  brouglit  up  in  the  general  council 
after  they  had  come  in,  but  when  they  arrived 
they  were  accompanied  by  the  Ameritan  Fur 
Company  and  most  of  their  employes,  and  we 
found  it  impossible  to  get  them  to  agree  to  any 
of  our  plans  or  to  come  to  any  terms.  A  propo- 
sition was  made  by  Buffalo  when  all  were 
gathered  in  coun  il  by  themselves  that  as  the^y 
could  not  agree  as  they  were,  a  division  should 
be  drawn,  dividing  the  Mississippi  and  the  Lake 
Superior  Indians  from  each  other  altogether  and 
eacli  make  their  own  treaty  After  several  days 
of  counselling  the  proposition  was  agreed  to,  and 


ili 


1 


M 


li  i 


1^ 


M  'I 

1 


i     J 


$6  EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 

thus  the  Lake  Superiors  were  left  to  make  their 
treaty  for  the  lands  nouth  of  Lake  Superior  to 
the  Mississippi  and  the  Mississippis  to  make  their 
treaty  for  the  lands  west  of  the  Mississippi. 
The  council  lasted  several  days,  as  I  have  stated, 
which  was  owing  to  the  opposition  of  the  Amer- 
ican Fur  Company,  who  were  evidently  opposed 
to  having  any  such  division  made  ;  they  yielded 
however,  but  only  when  they  saw  further 
opposition  would  not  avail  Jand  the  proposition 
of  Buffalo  became  an  Indian  law.  Our  side  was 
now  ready  to  treat  with  the  commissioners  in 
open  council.  Buffalo,  myself  and  several 
chiefs  called  upon  them  and  briefly  stated  our 
case  but  were  informed  that  they  had  no  instruc- 
tions to  make  any  such  treaty  with  us  and  were 
only  instructed  to  buy  such  territory  as  the 
Lake  Superiors  and  Mississippis  tlien  owned. 
Then  we  told  them  of  the  division  the  Indians 
had  agreed  upon  and  that  we  would  make  our 
own  treaty,  and  after  several  days  they  agreed 
to  set  us  off  the  reservations  as  previously  asked 
for  and  to  guarantee  that  all  lands  embraced 
within  those  boundaries  should  belong  to  the 
Indians  and  that  they  would  pay  them  a  nomi- 
nal sum  for  the  remainder  of  their  possessions  on 
the  north  shores.  It  was  further  agreed  that 
the  Lake  Superior  Indians  should  have  two- 
thirds  of  all  money  appropriated  for  the  Chip- 
pewas  and  the  Mississippi  contingent  the  other 
third.  The  Lake  Superior  Indians  did«  not 
seem,  through  all  these  councils,  to  care  so  much 
for  future  annuities  either  in  money  or  goods  as 
they  ^^^  ^^^  securing  a  home  for  themselves  and 


EARLY   INDIAN  HISTORY. 


37 


their  posterity  that  should  be  a  permanent  one. 
They  also  reserved'  a  tract  of  land  embracing 
about  100  acres  lying  across  and  along  the  East- 
ern end  of  La  Pointe  or  Mar'eline  Island  so  that 
they  would  not  be  cut  off  from  the  fishing  privi- 
lege. 

It  was  about  in  the  midst  of  the  councils 
leading  up  to  the  treaty  of  1854  that  Buffalo 
stated  to  his  chiefs  that  I  had  rendered  them 
services  in  the  past  that  should  be  rewarded  by 
something  more  substantial  than  their  thanks 
and  good  wishes,  and  that  at  different  times  the 
Indians  had  agreed  to  reward  me  from  their 
annuity  money  but  I  had  always  I'efused  such 
offers  as  it  would  be  taking  from  their  necessities 
and  art  they  had  had  no  annuity  money  for  the 
two  years  prior  to  1852  they  could  not  well 
afford  to  pay  me  in  this  way.  "And  now,"  con- 
tinued Buffalo,  '  'I  have  a  proposition  to  make  to 
ymi.  As  he  has  provided  us  and  our  children 
with  homes  by  getting  these  reservations  set  off 
for  us,  and  as  we  are  about  to  part  with  all  the 
lands  we  possess,  I  have  it  in  my  power,  with 
your  consent,  to  provide  him  with  a  future  home 
by  giving  him  a  piece  of  ground  which  we  are 
about  to  part  with.  He  has  agreed  to  accept 
this  as  it  will  take  nothing  from  us  and  makes 
no  difference  with  the  great  father  whether  we 
reserve  a  small  tract  of  our  territory  or  not,  and 
if  you  agree  I  will  proceed  with  him  to  the  head 
ot  ihb  lake  and  there  select  the  piece  of  ground 
I  desire  him  to  have,  that  it  may  appear  on  paper 
when  the  treaty  has  been  completed."  The 
chiefs  were  unanimous  in  their  acceptance  of 


I    I 


38 


EARLY  INDIAN   HISTORY. 


the  proposition  and  told  Buffalo  to  select 
large  piece  that  his  children  might  also  have 
home  in  future  as  has  been  provided  for  ours. 

This  council  lasted  all  night  and  just  at  bre? 
of  day  the  old  chief  and  myself,  with  four  brav 
to  row  the  boat,  set  out  for  the  head  of  La] 
Superior  and  did  not  stop  anywhere  only  loi 
enough  to  make  and  drink  some  tea,  until  ^ 
reached  the  head  of  St.  Louis  Bay.  We  land( 
our  canoe  by  the  side  of  a  flat  rock  quite  a  d 
tance  from  the  shore,  a^  long  grass  and  rushe 
Here  we  ate  our  lunch  and  when  complete 
Buffalo  and  myself,  with  another  chief,  Kie 
ki-to-uk,  waded  ashore  and  ascended  the  bai 
to  a  small  level  plateau  where  we  could  get 
better  view  of  the  bay.  Here  Buffalo  turned 
me,  saying: 

"Are  you  satisfied  with  this  location?  I  wa: 
to  reserve  the  shore  of  this  bay  from  the  mou 
of  St.  Louis  river.  How  far  that  way  do  yc 
you  want  it  to  go?"  pointing  southeast,  or  aloi 
the  south  shore  of  the  lake. 

I  told  himu  we  had  better  not  try  to  make 
too  large  for  if  we  did  the  great  father's  office 
at  Washington  might  throw  it  out  of  the  trea 
and  said:  "I  will  be  satisfied  with  one  mi 
square,  and  let  it  start  from  the  rock  which  ^ 
have  christened  Buffalo  rock,  running  easter 
in  the  direction  of  Minnesota  Point,  taking  in 
mile  square  immediately  northerly  from  tl 
head  of  St.  Louis  Bay  " 

As  there  was  no  other  way  of  describing 
than  by  metes  and  bounds  we  tried  to  so  descril 
it  in  the  treaty,  but  Agent  Gilbert,  whether  1 


EARLY   INDIAN    HISTORY. 


39 


miPtake  or  not  I  am  unable  to  nay,  described  it 
differently.  He  described  it  as  follows:  ''Start- 
ing from  a  rock  immediately  above  and  adjoin- 
ing Minnesota  Poi  iit,  etc. " 

We  spent  an  hour  or  two  here  in  looking  over 
the  plateau  then  went  back  to  our  canoe  and  set 
out  for  La  Pointe.  We  traveled  night  and  day 
until  we  reached  home. 

During  our  absence  some  of  the  chiefs  had 
been  talking  more  or  less  with  the  commissioners 
and  immediately  on  our  return  all  the  Indians 
met  in  a  grand  council  when  Bu^  j  explained 
to  them  what  he  had  done  on  the  trip  and  how 
and  where  he  had  selected  the  piece  of  land  that 
I  was  to  have  reserved  in  the  treaty  for  my 
future  home  and  in  payment  for  the  services  I 
had  rendered  them  in  the  past.  The  balance  of 
the  night  was  spent  in  preparing  ourselves  for 
the  meeting  with  the  treaty  makers  the  next  day, 
and  about  10  o'clock  next  morning  we  were  in 
attendance  before  the  commissioners  all  prepared 
for  a  big  council. 

Agent  Gilbert  started  the  business  by  begin- 
ning a  speech  interpreted  by  the  government 
interpreter,  when  Buffalo  interrupted  him  by 
saying  that  he  did  not  want  anything  interpreted 
to  them  from  the  English  language  by  any  one 
except  his  adoped  son  for  there  had  always  been 
tilings  told  to  the  Indians  in  the  past  that  proved 
afterwards  to  be  untrue,  whether  wrongly 
interpreted  or  not,  he  could  not  say;  "and  as  we 
now  feel  that  my  adoped  son  interprets  to  us 
just  what  you  say,  and  we  can  get  it  correctly, 
we  wish  to  hear  your  words  repeated  by  him, 


Ml 


i  I  !  J 


I 


ill  ill 


^'i  F^ 


40 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 


and  when  we  talk  to  you  our  words  can  b 
interpreted  by  your  own  interpreter,  and  in  thi 
way  one  interpreter  can  watch  the  other  aiK 
correct  each  other  should  there  be  mistakes 
We  do  not  want  to  be  deceived  any  more  as  w^ 
have  in  the  past.  We  now  understand  that  w< 
are  selling  our  lands  as  well  as  the  timber  am 
that  the  whole,  with  the  exception  of  what  W( 
shall  reserve,  goes  to  the  great  father  forever. " 

Commissioner  of  Indian  affaiis.  Col.  Many 
penny,  then  said  to  Buffalo:  'What  you  hav( 
said  meets  my  own  views  exactly  and  I  will  noT' 
appoint  your  adopted  son  your  interpreter  am 
John  Johnson,  of  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  shall  b< 
the  interpreter  on  the  part  of  the  government," 
then  turning  to  the  commissioners  said,  '  'liov 
does  that  suit  you,  gentlemen."  They  ai 
once  gave  their  consent  and  the  council  pro 
ceeded. 

Buffalo  informed  the  commissioners  of  wha" 
he  had  done  in  regard  to  selecting  a  tract  o: 
land  for  me  and  insisted  that  it  become  a  par 
of  the  treaty  and  that  it  should  be  patented  t( 
me  directly  by  the  government  without  anj 
restrictions.  Many  other  questions  were  de 
bated  at  this  session  but  no  definite  agreementi 
were  reached  and  the  council  was  adjourned  ii 
the  middle  of  the  afternoon.  Chief  Buffalo  ask 
ing  for  the  adjournment  that  he  might  talk  ovei 
some  matters  further  with  his  people,  anc 
that  night  the  subject  of  providing  homes 
for  their  half-breed  relations  who  lived  ii 
different  parts  of  the  country  was  brought  ui 


EARLY    INDIAN   HISTORY. 


41 


and  discussed  and  all  were  in  favor  of  making 
such  a  provision  in  the  treaty.  I  proposed  to 
them  that  as  we  had  made  provisions  for  our- 
selves and  children  it  would  be  only  fair  that 
an  arrangement  should  be  made  in  the  treaty 

whereby  the  government  should  provide  for  our 
mixed  blood  relations  by  giving  to  each  person 
tlie  head  of  a  family  or  to  each  single  person 
twenty-one  years  of  age  a  piece  of  land  containing 
at  least  eighty  acres  which  would  provide  homes 
for  those  now  living  and  in  the  future  there 
would  be  ample  room  on  the  reservations  for 
tlieir  children,  where  all  could  live  happily 
together.  We  also  asked  that  all  teachers  and 
traders  in  the  ceded  territory  who  at  that  time 
were  located  there  by  license  and  doing  business 
by  authority  of  law,  should  each  be  entitled  to 
100  acres  of  land  at  $1.25  per  acre.  This  was  all 
reduced  to  writing  and  when  the  council  met 
next  morning  we  were  prepared  to  submit  all 
our  plans  and  requests  to  the  commissioners  save 
one,  which  we  required  more  time  to  consider. 
Most  of  this  day  was  consumed  in  speech-mak- 
ing by  the  chiefs  and  commissioners  and  in  the 
last  speech  of  the  day,  which  was  made  by  Mr. 
Gilbert,  he  said;  "We  have  talked  a  great  deal 
and  evidently  understand  one  another.  You 
have  told  us  what  you  want,  and  now  we  want 
time  to  consider  your  requests,  while  you  want 
time  as  you  say  to  consider  another  matter,  and 
so  we  will  adjourn  until  tomorrow  and  we,  with 
your  father.  Col.  Manypenny,  v/ill  carefully 
examine  and  consider    your    propositions  and 


EARLY    INDIAN   HISTORY. 


I    I  ! 


Hi 
< 


i    1    ! 


i 


when  we  meet  to-morrow  we  will  be  prepared  to 
answer  you  with  an  approval  or  rejection." 

That  evening  the  chiefs  considered  the  other 
matter,  which  was  to  provide  for  the  payment 
of  the  debts  of  the  Indians  ovNring  the  American 
Fur  Company  and  other  traders  and  agreed  that 
the  entire  debt  could  not  be  more  than  $90,000 
and  that  that  amount  should  be  taken  from  the 
Indians  in  bulk  and  divided  up  among  their 
creditors  in  a  pro-rata  manner  according  to  the 
amount  due  to  any  person  or  firm,  and  that  this 
should  wipe  out  their  indebtedness.  The  Amer- 
ican Fur  Company  had  filed  claims  which,  in 
the  aggregate,  amounted  [to  two  or  three  times 
this  sum  and  were  at  the  council  heavily  armed 
for  the  purpose  of  enforcing  their  claim  by 
intimidation.  This  and  the  next  day  were  spent 
in  speeches  pro  and  con  but  nothing  was  effected 
toward  a  final  settlement. 

Col.  Manypenny  came  to  my  store  and  we  had 
a  long  private  interview  relating  to  the  treaty 
then  under  consideration  and  he  thought  that 
the  demands  of  the  Indians  were  reasonable  and 
just  and  that  they  would  be  accepted  by  the 
commissioners.  He  also  gave  me  considerable 
credit  for  the  manner  in  which  I  had  conducted 
the  matter  for  Indians,  considering  the  terrible 
opposition  I  had  to  contend  with.  He  said  he 
had|chiims  in  his  possession  which  had  been 
filed  by  ,the  traders  that  aniounted  to  a  large 
sum  but  did  not  state  the  amount.  As  he  saw 
the  Indians  had  every  confidence  in  me  and 
their  demands  were  reasonable  he  could  see  no 
reason  why  the  treaty  could  not  be  speedily 


KARLY    INDIAN   HISTORY. 


4$ 


brought  to  a  cloi^e.  He  then  asked  if  I  kept  a 
set  of  books.  I  told  him  I  only  kept  a  day  book 
or  blotter  showing  the  amount  each  Indian  owed 
me.  I  got  the  books  and  told  him  to  take  them 
along  with  him  and  that  he  or  his  interpreter 

might  question  any  Indian  whose  name  appeared 
thereon  as  being  indebted  to  me  and  I  would 
accept  whatever  that  Indian  said  he  owed  me 
whether  it  be  one  dollar  or  ten  cents.  He  said 
he  would  be  pleased  to  lake  the  books  along 
and  I  wrapped  them  up  and  went  with  him  to 
Ills  otfice,  where  I  left  them.  He  said  he  was 
certain  that  some  traders  were  making  claims 
for  far  more  than  was  duo  them.  Messrs.  Gil- 
l)ert  and  Herriman  and  their  chief  clerk,  Mr. 
Smith,  were  present  when  Mr.  Manypenny 
related  the  talk  he  had  with  me  at  the  store, 
lie  considered  the  requests  of  the  Indians  fair 
and  just,  he  said,  and  he  hoped  there  would 
be  no  further  delays  in  concluding  the  treaty 
and  if  it  was  drawn  up  and  signed  with  the  stip- 
ulations and  agreements  that  were  now  under- 
stood should  be  incorporated  in  it,  he  would 
strongly  recommend  its  ratification  by  the  Pres- 
ident and  senate. 

The  day  following  the  council  was  opened  by 
a  speech  from  Chief  Na-gon-ab  in  which  he 
cited  considerable  history.  'My  friends,"  he 
said,  '  'I  have  been  chosen  by  our  chief,  Buffalo, 
to  speak  to  you.  Our  wishes  are  now  on  paper 
l)ef  ore  you.  Before  this  it  was  not  so.  We  have 
been  many  times  deceived.  We  had  no  one  to 
look  out  for  us.     The  great  father's  officers  mad^ 


II 


I     ' 


44 


EARLY    INDIAN  HISTORY. 


IIH 


!    a  in 


marks  on  paper  with  black  liquor  and  quill. 
The  Indian  can  not  do  this.  We  depend  upon 
our  memory.  We  have  nothing  else  to  ^look  to. 
We  talk  often  together  and  keep  your  words 
clear  in  our  minds.  When  you  talk  we  all  lis- 
ten, then  we  talk  it  over  many  times.  In  this 
way  it  is  always  fresh  with  us.  This  is  the  way 
we  must  keep  our  record.  In  1837  we  were 
asked  to  sell  our  timber  and  minerals.  In  1842 
we  were  asked  to  do  the  same.  Our  white 
brothers  told  us  the  great  father  did  rot  want 
the  land.  We  should  keep  it  to  hunt  uu.  Bye 
and  bye  we  were  told  to  go  away;  to  go  and 
leave  our  friends  that  were  buried  yesterday. 
Then  We  asked  each  other  what  it  meant.  Does 
the  great  father  tell  the  truth?  Does  he  keep 
his  promises?  We  cannot  help  ourselves!  We 
try  to  do  as  we  agree  in  treaty.  We  ask  you 
what  this  means?  You  do  not  tell  from  mem- 
ory! You  go  to  your  black  marks  and  say  this 
is  what  those  men  put  down;  this  is  what 
they  said  when  they  made  the  treaty.  The  men 
we  talk  with  don't  come  back;  they  do  not  come 
and  you  tell  us  they  did  not  tell  us  so!  We  ask 
you  where  they  are?  You  say  you  do  not  know 
or  that  they  are  dead  and  gone.  This  is  what 
they  told  you;  this  is  what  they  done.  Now 
we  have  a  friend  who  can  make  black  marks  on 
paper  When  the  council  is  over  he  will  tell  us 
what  we  have  done.  We  know  now  what  we  are 
doing!  If  we  get  what  we  ask  our  chiefs  will 
touch  the  pen,  but  if  not  we  will  not  touch  it. 
I  am  told  by  our  chief  to  tell  you  this:     We 


III 


KARLY    INDIAN    HlflTORY.  H^ 

will  1  ot  toiu'li  the  pen  unless  our  friend  s«ayBthe 
])aper  is  all  right.*" 

Na-gon-ab  was  answered  by  Commissioner 
Gilbert,  saying:  ' 'Yon  have  submitted  through 
your  friend  and  interpreter  the  terms  and  con- 
ditions upon  which  you  will  cede  away  your 
lands.  We  have  not  had  time  to  give  them  all 
consideration  and  want  a  little  more  time  as  we 
(lid  not  know  last  night  what  your  last  proposi- 
tion wovdd  be.  Your  father,  Col.  Manypenny, 
has  ordered  some  beef  (-attle  killed  and  a  supply 
ol' provisions  will  be  issued  to  you  right  aw^ay. 
\'ou  can  now  return  to  your  lodges  and  get  a 
t,^()od  dinner  and  talk  matters  over  among  ycmr- 
selves  the  remainder  of  the  day  and  I  hope  you 
will  come  back  tomorrow  feeling  good  natured 
and  happy,  for  your  father,  Col.  Manypenny, 
will  have  something  to  say  to  you  and  will  have 
a  i)aper  which  your  friend  can  read  and  explain 
to  you." 

When  the  council  met  next  day  in  front  of 
the  commissioners'  office  to  hear  what  Col.  Many- 
penny  had  to  say  a  general  good  feeling  pre- 
vailed and  a  hand-shaking  all  round  preceded 
the  counci'  which  Col.  Manypenny  opened  by 
saying:  'My  friends  and  children:  I  am  glad 
to  see  you  all  this  morning  looking  good  natured 
and  happy  and  as  if  you  could  sit  here  and 
listen  to  what  I  have  to  say.  We  have  a  paper 
here  for  your  friend  to  examine  to  see  if  it  meets 
your  approval.  Myself  and  the  commissioners 
which  your  great  father  has  sent  here  have  duly 
considered  all  your  requests  and  have  concluded 
to  accept  them.     As  the  season  is  passing  away 


43 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 


I:  I'!  li'' 
■I     ij 


and  we  are  all  anxious  to  go  to  our  families  and 
you  to  your  homes,  I  hope  when  you  read  this 
treaty  you  will  find  it  as  you  expect  to  and 
according  to  the  understandings  we  have  had 
during  the  council.  Now  your  friend  may 
examine  the  paper  and  while  he  is  doing  so  we 
will  take  a  recess  until  afternoon." 

Chief  Buffalo,  turning  to  me,  said:  "My  son, 
we,  the  chiefs  of  all  the  country,  have  placed 
this  matter  entirely  in  your  liands.  Go  and 
examine  the  paper  and  if  it  suits  you  it  will  suit 
us."  Then  turning  to  the  chiefs,  he  asked, 
"what  do  you  all  say  to  that?"  The  ho-ho  that 
followed  showed  the  entire  circle  Avere  satisl  'd. 

I  went  carefully  through  the  treaty  as  it  h  id 
been  prepared  and  with  a  few  exceptions  found 
it  was  right.  I  called  the  attention  of  the  com- 
missioners to  certain  parts  of  the  stipulations 
that  were  incorrect  and  they  directed  the  clerk 
to  make  the  changes. 

The  following  day  the  Indians  told  the  com- 
missioners that  as  their  friend  had  made  objec- 
tions to  the  treaty  as  it  was  they  requested  that 
I  might  again  examine  it  before  proceeding 
further  with  the  council.  On  this  examination 
I  found  that  changes  had  been  made  but  on 
sheets  of  paper  not  attached  to  the  body  of  the 
instrument,  and  as  these  sheets  contained  some 
of  the  most  important  items  in  the  treaty,  I  again 
objected  and  told  the  commissioners  that  I 
would  not  allow  the  Indians  to  sign  it  in  that 
shape  and  not  until  the  whole  treaty  was 
re-written  and  the  detached  portions  appeared  in 
their  proper  places.     I  walked  out  and  told  the 


>U  MIl 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY.  47 

Indians  that  the  treaty  was  not  yet  ready  to 

nign  and  they  gave  up  all  farther  endeavors 

until  next  day.      I  met  the  commissioners  alone 

iu  their  office  that  afternoon  and  explained  the 

ol).jectionable  points  in  the  treaty  and  told  them 

the  Indians  were  already  to  sign  as  soon  as  those 
()])jections  were  removed.  They  were  soon  at 
work  putting  the  instrument  in  shape. 

The  next  day  when  the  Indians  assembled 
they  were  told  by  the  commissioners  that  all 
was  ready  and  the  treaty  was  laid  upon  a  table 
and  I  found  it  Just  as  the  Indians  had  wanted 
it  to  be,  except  the  description  of  the  mile 
square.  The  part  relating  to  the  mile  square 
that  was  to  have  been  reserved  for  me  read  as 
follows:  'Chief  Buffalo,  being  desirous  of  pro- 
viding for  some  of  his  relatives  who  had  render- 
ed them  important  services,  it  is  agreed  that  he 
may  select  one  iii  le  square  of  the  ceded  terri- 
tory heretofore  described. ' 

"Now,"  said  the  commissioner,  "we  want 
Buffalo  to  designate  the  person  or  persons  to 
whom  he  wishes  the  patents  to  issue. "  Buffalo 
then  said:  "I  want  them  to  be  made  out  in  the 
name  of  my  adopted  son. "  This  closed  all  cere- 
mony and  the  treaty  was  duly  signed  on  the 
80th  day  of  Septeml3er,  1854.  This  done  the 
commissioners  took  a  farewell  shake  of  the  hand 
with  all  the  chiefs,  hoping  to  meet  them  again 
at  the  annuity  payment  the  coming  year.  They 
then  bearded  the  steamer  North  Star  for  home. 
In  the  course  of  a  few  days  the  Indians  also  dis- 
appeared, some  to  their  interior  homes  and  some 


hi 


48 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 


to  their  winter  hunting  s^rounde  and  a  general 
quiet  prevailed  on  the  island. 

About  the  second  week  in  October,  1854,  I 
went  from  La  Pointe  to  Ontonagon  in  an  open 
boat  for  the  purpose  of  purchasing  my  winter 
supplies  as  it  had  got  too  late  to  depend  on  get- 
ting them  from  further  below.  While  there  a 
company  was  formed  for  the  purpose  of  going 
into  the; newly  ceded  territory  to  make  claims 
upon  lands  that  would  be  subject  to  entry  as 
soon  as  the  late  treaty  should  be  ratified.  The 
company  consisted  of  Samuel  McWaid,  William 
Whitesides,  W.  W.  Kingsbury,  John  Johnson, 
Oliver  Melzer,  John  McFarland,  Daniel  S.  Cash, 
W.  W.  Spaulding,  all  of  Ontonagon,  and  myself. 
The  two  last  named  gentlemen,  Daniel  S.  Cash 
and  W.  W.  Spaulding,  agreeing  to  furnish  the 
company  with  supplies  and  all  necessaries, 
including  money,  to  enter  the  lands  for  an  equal 
interest  and  it  was  so  stipulated  that  we 
were  to  share  equally  in  all  that  we,  or  either 
of  us,  might  obtain.  As  soon  as  the  supplies 
could  be  purchased  and  put  aboard  the  schooner 
Algonquin  we  started  for  the  head  of  the  lake, 
stopping  at  La  Pointe  long  enough  for  me  to  get 
my  family  aboard  and  my  business  matters 
arranged  for  the  winter.  I  left  my  store  at  La 
Pointe  in  charge  of  Alex.  Nevaux,  and  we  all 
sailed  for  the  head  of  Lake  Superior,  the  site  of 
which  is  now  the  city  of  Daluth.  Reaching 
there  'uout  the  first  week  in  December — the 
bay  of  Superior  being  closed  by  ice — we  were 
compelled  to  make  our  landing  at  Minnesota 
Point  and  take  our  goods  from  there  to  the  main 


EARLY   INDIAN  HISTORY.  49 

land  on  the  north  si  re  in  open  boats,  landing 
about  one  and-one  half  miles  east  of  Minnesota 
Point  at  a  place  where  I  desired  to  make  a  pre- 
emption for  myself  and  to  establish  a  trading 
post  for  the  winter.  Here  I  erected  a  building 
large  enough  for  all  of  us  to  live  in,  as  we 
expected  to  make  this  our  headquarters  for  the 
winter,  and  also  a  building  for  a  trading  post. 
The  other  members  of  the  company  made  claims 
in  other  places,  but  I  did  no  more  land  looking 
that  winter. 

About  January  20tli,  1855,  I  left  my  place  at 
the  head  of  the  lake  to  g©  back  to  La  Pointe  and 
took  with  me  what  furs  I  had  collected  up  to 
that  time,  as  I  had  a  good  place  at  La  Pointe  to 
dry  and  keep  them.  I  took  four  men  along  to 
help  me  through  and  two  dog  trains.  As  we 
were  passing  down  Superior  Bay  and  when  just 
in  front  of  the  village  of  West  Superior  a  man 
came  to  us  on  the  ice  carrying  a  small  bundle  on 
his  back  and  asked  me  if  I  had  any  objections 
to  his  going  through  in  my  company.  He  said 
the  snow  was  deep  and  the  weather  cold  and  it 
was  bad  for  one  man  to  travel  alone.  I  told 
him  I  had  no  objections  provided  he  would  take 
his  turn  with  the  other  men  in  breaking  the 
road  for  the  dogs.  We  all  went  on  together  and 
camped  that  night  at  a  place  well  known  as 
Flag  River.  We  made  preparations  for  a  cold 
night  as  the  thermometer  must  have  been 
twenty-five  or  thirty  degrees  below  zero^  and 
the  snow  fully  two  feet  deep.  As  there  were 
enough  of  us  we  cut  and  carried  up  a  large 
quantity  of  wood,   both  green  and   dry,   and 


50 


EARLY    INDIAN    HISTORY. 


shoveled  the  snow  away  to  the  ground  with  our 
snow  shoes  and  built  a  large  fire.  We  then  cut 
evergreen  boughs  and  made  a  wind  break  or 
bough  camp  and  concluded  we  could  put  in  a 
very  comfortable  night.  We  then  cooked  and 
ate  our  supper  and  all  seemed  happy.  I  unrolled 
a  bale  of  .bear  skins  and  spread  tliem  out  on  the 
ground  for  my  bed,  filled  my  pipe  and  lay  down 
to  rest  while  the  five  men  with  me  were  talking 
and  smoking  around  the  camp  fire.  I  w^as  very 
tired  and  presume  I  wab  not  long  in  falling 
asleep.  H(3W  long  I  slept  I  cannot  tell,  but 
was  awakened  by  something  dropping  into 
my  face,  which  felt  like  a  powdered  substance. 
I  sprang  to  my  feet  for  I  found  something  had 
got  into  my  eyes  and  was  smarting  .'  -^^i  badly. 
I  rushed  for  the  snow  bank  that  was  melting 
from  the  heat  and  applied  handful  after  handf uL 
to  my  eyes  and  face.  I  found  the  application 
was  peeling  the  skin  off  my  face  and  the  pain 
soon  became  intense.  I  woke  up  the  crew  and 
they  saw  by  tlie  firelight  the  terrible  condition 
I  was  in.  In  an  hour's  time  my  eyeballs  were 
so  swollen  that  I  could  not  close  the  lids  and 
the  pain  did  not  abate.  I  could  do  nothing 
more  than  bathe  my  eyes  until  morning,  which 
I  did  with  tea-grounds.  It  seemed  an  age  before 
morning  came  and  when  it  did  come  I  could  not 
realize  it,  for  I  was  totally  blind.  The  party 
started  with  me  at  early  dawn  for  La  Pointe. 
The  man  who  joined  us  the  day  before  went  no 
further,  but  returned  to  Superior,  which  was  a 
great  surprise  to  the  men  of  our  party,  who  fre- 
quently during  the  day  would  say :  .  '  'There  is 


EARLY  INDIAN   HISTORy. 


51 


Bomething  about  this  matter  that  is  not  right, " 
and  I  never  could  leai  n  afterward  of  his  having 
communicated  the  fact  of  my  accident  to  any 
one  or  to  assign  any  reason  or  excuse  for  turn- 
ing back,  which  caused  us  to  suspect  that  lie 
had  a  hand  in  the  blinding,  but  as  I  could  get 
no  proof  to  establish  that  suspicion,  I  could  do 
nothing  in  the  matter.  This  man  was  found 
dead  in  his  cabin  a  few  months  afterwards. 

At  La  Pointe  I  got  such  treatment  as  could  be 
procured  from  the  Indians  which  allayed  the 
inflamation  but  did  not  restore  the  sight.  I 
remained  at  Lr  Pointe  about  ten  days,  and  then 
returned  home  with  dog  train  to  my  family, 
where  I  remained  the  balance  of  the  winter, 
when  not  at  Superior  for  treatment.  When  the 
ice  moved  from  the  lake  in  the  spring  I  aban- 
doned everything  there  and  returned  to  La 
Pointe  and  was  blind  gr  nearly  so  until  the  win- 
ter of  1861. 

Returning  a  little  time  to  the  north  shore  I 
wish  to  relate  an  incident  of  the  death  of  one  of 
our  Ontonagon  company.  Two  or  three  days 
after  I  had  reached  home  from  La  Pointe,  find- 
ing my  eyes  constantly  growing  w^orse  I  had  the 
company  take  me  to  Superior  where  I  could  get 
treatment.  Dr.  Marcellus,  son  of  Prof,  Mar- 
cellus,  of  an  eye  infirmary  in  Philadelphia,  who 
had  just  then  married  a  beautiful  young  wife, 
and  come  west  to  seek  his  fortune,  ^^as 
engaged  to  treat  me.  I  was  taken  to  the  board- 
ing house  of  Henry  Wolcott,  where  I  engaged 
rooms  for  the  winter  as  I  expected  to  remain 
there  until  spring.     I  related  to  the  doctor  what 


S2 


EARLY  INDIAN  HISTORY. 


had  befallen  me  and  he  began  treatment.  At 
times  I  felt  much  better  but  no  permanent 
relief  seemed  near.  About  the  middle  February 
my  family  required  my  presence  at  home,  as 
there  was  some  business  to  be  attended  to  which 
they  did  not  understand.  My  wife  sent  a  note 
to  me  by  Mr.  Melzer,  stating  that  it  was  neces- 
sary for  me  to  return,  and  as  the  weather  that 
day  was  very  pleasant,  she  hoped  that  I  would 
come  that  afternoon.  Mr.  Melzer  delivered  me 
the  note,  which  I  requested  him  to  read.  It  was 
then  11  a.  m.  and  I  told  him  we  would  start 
right  after  dinner,  and  requested  him  to  tell  the 
doctor  that  I  wished  to  see  him  right  away,  and 
*  then  return  and  get  his  dinner,  as  it  would  be 
ready  at  noon,  to  which  he  replied:  "If  I  am 
not  here  do  not  wait  for  me,  but  I  will  be  here 
at  the  time  you  are  ready  for  home. "  Mr.  Melzer 
did  return  shortly  afte^  we  had  finished  our 
dinner  and  I  requested  him  to  eat,  as  I  would 
not  be  ready  to  start  for  half  an  hour,  but  he 
insisted  he  was  not  hungry.  We  had  no  convey- 
ance and  at  1  p.  m.  we  set  out  for  home.  We 
went  down  a  few  steps  to  the  ice,  as  Mr.  Wol- 
cott's  house  stood  close  to  the  shore  of  the  bay, 
and  went  straight  across  Superior  Bay  to  Minne- 
sota Point,  and  across  the  point  six  or  eight  rods 
and  struck  the  ice  on  Lake  Superior.  A  plain, 
hard  beaten  road  led  from  here  direct  to  my 
home.  After  we  had  proceeded  about  150  yards, 
following  this  hard  beaten  road,  Melzer  at  once 
stopped  and  requested  me  to  go  ahead,  as  I  could 
follow  the  beaten  road  without  assistance,  the 
snow  being  deep  on  either  side.     '  'Now, "  he  says, 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 

go  ahead,  for  I  must  go  back  after  a  drink. "  I 
followed  the  road  quite  well,  and  when  near  the 
house  my  folks  came  out  to  meet  me,  their  first 
inquiry  being:  "Wheve  is  Melzer?"  I  told 
them  the  circumstances  of  his  turning  back  for 
a  drink  of  water.  Reaching  the  bank  on  which 
my  house  stood,  some  of  my  folks,  looking  back 
over  the  road  I  had  come,  discovered  a  dark 
object  apparently  floundering  on  the  ice.  Two 
or  three  of  our  men  started  for  the  spot  and 
there  found  the  dead  body  of  poor  Melzer.  We 
immediately  notified  parties  in  Superior  of  the 
circumstances  and  ordered  a  post-mortem  exam- 
ination of  the  body.  The  doctors  found  that 
his  stomach  was  entirely  empty  and  mostly  gone 
from  the  effects  of  whisky  and  was  no  thicker 
than  tissue  paper  and  that  his  heart  had  burst 
into  three  pieces.  We  gave  him  a  decent  burial 
at  Superior  and  peace  to  his  ashes.  His  last  act 
of  kindness  was  in  my  behalf. 


m   THE  OLD   DAYS. 


CHAPTER  III. 


The  Tidal  Wave  of  Immigration — Sale  of  One- 
Half  OF  THE  "Mile  Square." — Sharp  Prac- 
tices.—  General  Depression. — The  Indian 
Scare  of  1862. — Soldiers  at  Bayfield  and 
Superior. — An  Indian  Shot. — A  Delegation 
Taken  Through  the  States  — President  Lin- 
coin's  Promises. 

In   the    year   1855  came  the    first    wave    of 
hnmigration. 

IJehind  the  squaw's  light  birch  canoe, 
'  '  .  The  steamers  plow  the  wave; 

And  village  lots  are  staked  for  sale 
Above  old  Indian  graves. 

They  crossed  the  lakes  as  of  old 

The  pilgrims  crossed  the  sea, 
To  make  the  west  as  they  had  the  east 

A  home  for  trusts  and  monopoly. 

Now  for  the  first  time  we  of  the  western  coun- 
try realized  the  meaning  of  sharp  practices. 


56 


EAELY   INDIAN  HISTORY. 


Heretofore  a  man's  word  had  been  liia  bond  and 
any  writing  intended  to  strengthen  a  man's 
word  was  utterly  unknown. 

Now  I  must  take  you  to  Oak  Island,  which 
was  my  home  from  the  spring  of  1855  to  the 
spring  of  1862.  I  was  confined  to  my  house 
during  all  of  this  time  except  such  time  as  I  was 
seeking  or  receiving  medical  aid.  Being  blind 
and  financially  embarrassed,  the  world  showed 
up  dark  before  me.  I  had  exhausted  all  my 
ready  money  in  conducting  the  late  treaty  and 
had  nothing  to  fall  back  upon  except  a  few 
tracts  of  land  I  had  secured  and  the  furs  I  had 
accumulated  the  previous  winter.  I  had  my 
furs  baled  up  and  they  turned  out  as  follows: 
One  of  martin  skin,  one  of  beaver,  one  of  fisher, 
and  another  made  up  of  bear  and  otter  skins. 
These  I  consigned  to  parties  in  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
in  care  of  Cash  &  Spaulding,  Ontonagon.  They 
should  have  brought  me  |1,200  but  I  never 
realized  one  dollar  for  them.  I  inquired  of 
Cash  &  Spaulding  concerning  the  furs  and  was 
told  that  the  parties  in  Cleveland  would  not 
receipt  for  them  or  receive  them  until  some  skins 
that  were  missing  from  the  bales  should  be 
accounted  for,  claiming  they  had  been  broken 
open  in  transit  on  the  boat.  I  requested  Mr. 
Cash  that  inasmuch  as  I  was  sore  in  need  of 
money  he  would  look  the  matter  up  with  all 
possible  dispatch.  He  promised  me  that  he 
would,  but  did  not  think  it  could  be  done  right 
away,  and  the  matter  rested  there  the  entire 
season  without  a  settlement. 

About  the  first  of  July,  1856,  Mr,  Spaulding, 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY.  {^ 

of  our  company,  came  to  my  home  on  Oak 
Island  and  told  me  that  my  claims  against  the 
Indians  for  old  back  debts  that  were  arranged 
for  in  the  treaty  of  1854  had  been  allowed  by 
the  government  and  amounted  to  just  $900,  and 
that  as  he  was  going  to  Washington  in  a  few 
days  and  coming  right  back  and  if  I  would  give 
him  an  order  for  the  money  and  wished  it  he 
would  get  it  and  bring  it  to  me.  As  I  was  in 
much  need  of  money,  and  thinking  this  the 
quickest  way  to  obtain  it,  I  agreed.  He  wrote 
out  an  order  himself  and  I  signed  it,  but  being 
blind,  I  cannot  say  whether  I  signed  my  name 
or  made  my  mark.  Mr.  Spaulding  went  away, 
and  as  far  as  I  am  concerned,  the  money  went 
with  him.  In  the  fall  when  Agent  Gilbert 
came  to  pay  the  annuities  he  told  me  tliat  Mr. 
Spaulding  had  drawn  the  money  in  Washing- 
ton and  asked  if  I  had  received  it.  I  answered 
no  and  neither  had  I  heard  from  Spaulding. 
He  said  he  would  write  to  Spaulding  about  what 
disposition  he  had  made  of  the  money,  but  I 
never  saw  Gilbert  afterward  or  heard  from  the 
money. 

Sometime  in  the  fall  of  1856  I  met  Frederick 
Prentice,  whom  I  had  known  for  quite  a  num- 
ber of  years.  He  called  on  me  at  Oak  Island 
as  he  had  heard  of  my  affliction.  Mr.  Prentice 
then  lived  in  Toledo,  Ohio,  and  was  here  at 
that  time  on  matters  of  business.  Among  other 
things  of  which  we  talked  was  my  '  'mile  square" 
property,  the  grant  of  Chief  Buffalo  and  said  if 
we  could  agree  upon  terms  he  would  purchase  an 
interest  in  the  property.     At  that  time  I  scarce- 


58  EARLY    INDIAN   HISTORY. 

ly  knew  from  whence  my  next  Back  of  flour 
would  come  and  asked  Mr.  Prentice  what  he 
could  afford  to  give  me  for  an  undivided  one- 
half  of  the  property.  He  told  me  that  he  would 
give  me  $8,000  and  keep  up  the  taxes  when  it 
became  taxable.  He  would  keep  track  of  my 
other  matters  until  such  time  as  I  could  agree 
to  sell  all  or  any  portion  of  the  property.  If  it 
became  necessary  to  go  to  Washington  to  look 
after  it  he  would  do  it  and  should  it  be  neces- 
sary to  employ  counsel  while  there  or  at  any 
other  time  until  the  title  was  perfected  he 
would  do  so  and  would  make  me  a  small  cash 
payment.  In  addition  to  all  other  provisions 
Mr.  Prentice  also  agreed  to  furnish  lumber  and 
all  necessary  material  for  the  erection  of  a  house 
on  tlie  property,  in  which  I  was  to  live,  and  dur- 
ing my  residence  thereon  he  was  to  furnish  me 
with  anything  I  required  until  we  saw  fit  to  sell 
the  property  or  any  portion  of  it.  This  was  put 
into  a  written  agreement,  duly  signed  and  wit- 
nessed, which  was  afterward  stolen  from  me 
with  a  number  of  other  valuable  papers.  The 
cash  payment  was  to  be,  I  think,  $250,  but  am 
not  positive  as  to  the  exact  amount.  He  said 
also  that  I  might  make  out  a  list  of  goods  and 
provisions  that  I  needed  and  include  a  yoke  of 
oxeu,  and  he  would  send  me  them  as  soon  after 
his  return  to  Toledo  as  he  could  get  a  steamer 
to  send  them  by.  The  balance  of  the  $8,000, 
after  taking  out  the  cost  of  the  things  he  was  to 
send  me  and  the  money  then  advanced,  was  to 
be  paid  in  installments  after  the  patent  for  the 
land  had  been  received.     The  list  of  the  articles 


Wr^-.w 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY.  59 

he  was  to  send  he  took  along  with  him  and  in 
due  time  the  goods  and  oxen  were  received, 
together  with  the  shipping  and  purchasing  bills, 
showing  the  total  cost  of  the  goods,  which 
amounted  to  $2,000,  to  the  best  of  my  recollec- 
tion, including  the  cash  I  received  on  his  visit. 

On  the  day  following  our  conversation,  Mr. 
Prentice  returned  to  my  house,  bringing  with 
him  Doctor  Ellis,  of  Ashland,  Wis. ,  and  a  deed 
was  made  for  an  undivided  one-half  of  the 
land  that  was  selected  by  Chief  Buffalo  for  me 
in  the  t  7eaty  at  La  Pointe,  Sept.  30,  1854,  and 
wmch  was  to  have  been  patented  to  me  by  the 
stipulations  of  that  instrument.  The  deed  was 
a  warranty  but  as  the  patent  had  not  arrived  it 
was  impossible  to  describe  the  property  by  metes 
and  bounds.  Dr.  Ellis  drew  up  the  deed  and 
described  it  as  being  the  land  selected  by  Chief 
Buffalo  and  thought  the  description  would^  be 
sufficient.  The  deed  was  signed  in  the  presence 
of  Asaph  Whittlesey,  but  I  do  not  remember 
whether  there  was  another  witness  or  not.  On 
leaving  Mr  Prentice  told  me  he  should  leave 
that  night  on  the  steamer  North  Star  for  Tole- 
do, and  would  go  from  there  to  Cleveland  and 
purchase  the  articles  called  for  in  my  memoran- 
dum and  ship  them  either  on  the  North  Star, 
Captain  Sweet,  orthe  Iron  City,  Captain  Turner, 
and  that  they  would  reach  me  in  about  ten  days 
from  Cleveland.  The  goods  and  oxen  I  received 
at  Oak  Island  by  the  steamer  Iron  City.  I  next 
heard  from  Mr.  Prentice  from  Washington,  D. 
C. ,  whither  he  had  gone  on  business. 

This  same  fall  Daniel  S,  Cash,  of  Ontonagon, 


11 


60  EARLY   INr-IAN   HISTORY. 

came  to  my  house,  ostensibly  to  visit  me.  He 
sympathized  with  me  greatly  and  said  it  too  bad 
that  I  should  be  so  afflicted,  especially  at  this 
time,  when  the  whole  northwest,  by  reason  of 
the  late  treaty,  was  to  be  opened  to  settlement, 
and  as  I  was  young  and  active  and  had  a  thor- 
ough knowledge  of  the  c  ountry,  there  was  no 
reason,  if  I  had  my  sight,  why  I  should  not 
become  the  wealthiest  man  in  the  whole  north- 
west, and  asked:  ''Why  don't  you  raise  money 
on  that  mile,  square  and  go  below  for  treat- 
ment." I  told  him  I  had  already  given  a  deed 
to  im  undivided  one-half  to  raise  money  for  my 
present  needs  and  that  it  was  a  hard  matter  to 
raise  money  on  land  not  y^t  patented.  He  then 
made  me  a  proposition  to  let  me  have  the  money 
to  go  for  treatment-  He  said  he  would  advance 
$5,000  or  so  much  of  it  as  was  necessary 
if  I  would  give  that  land  as  security,  and  that 
he^rould  take  the  chances  of  the  patents  and  of 
the  land  ever  becoming  s^aluable,  and  would  let 
me  have  the  money  as  I  required  it.  I  told  him 
that  in  the  sale  of  the  other  half  I  had  only 
received  a  little  money  and  some  provisions  to 
use  in  carrying  on  my  business  and  that  when 
my  bills  were  paid  my  money  would  be  gone. 
This  offer,  coming  as  it  did  from  a  man  I  knew 
so  well,  was  a  tempting  one  and  I  told  him  I 
would  talk  the  matter  over  with  my  wife  and 
let  him  know  on  his  return  from  Superior  what 
the  decision  might  be.  The  boat  being  ready 
to  leave,  he  said:  "Think  it  over  well.  I  think 
it  is  the  best  thing  you  can  do.  I  think  too  much 
of  yon  to  advise  you  wrongly.     I  feel  sure  that 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY.  61 

a  few  months'  treatment  by  a  good  oculiyt  will 
bring  back  your  sight,  and  then  you  can  easily 
make  the  money  to  pay  me  back  what  I  shall 
have  have  advanced. "  I  talked  the  matter  over 
with  my  family  and  told  my  wife  1  would  do  as 
she  thought  best.  She,  being  well  acquainted 
with  Mr.  Cash,  and  believing  him  to  be  an  up- 
right and  good  man,  advised  me  to  accept  his 
proposition.  The  day  following  he  returned 
and  I  told  him  his  proposition  would  be  accept- 
ed, when  he  produced  a  contract  he  had  pre- 
pared, rend  it  to  me  and  asked  me  to  sign  it, 
saying  that  I  could  draw  the  $5,  OUO  if  necessary 
and  that  I  miglit  pay  him  back  the  amount  I 
used  with  interest  at  six  per  cent. ,  and  failing 
to  do  so  he  vrould  hold  the  land  selected  for  me 
by  Chief  Buffalo  at  the  head  of  St.  Louis  Bay. 
I  signed  the  contract,  saying  as  I  did  so  that  I 
would  only  draw  such  amounts  as  were  neces- 
sary and  thought  I  would  be  ready  to  start 
below  in  about  a  month.  Whether  my  signa- 
ture to  this  contract  was  witnessed  or  not  I  can- 
not state  but  there  was  no  one  present  who  could 
either  read  or  write  the  English  language  and 
no  one  but  Mr.  Cash  knew  the  contents  of  that 
instruraent. 

It  was  not  until  the  following  season  that  I 
made  ready  to  go  for  ttc^atment,  when  I  left 
Oak  Island  on  the  steamer  Iron  City,  Captain 
Turner,  who  had  previously  told  me  that  he 
should  stop  at  Ontonagon  to  load  some  copper 
which  would  give  me  time  to  see  Mr.  Cash  and 
arrange  the  money  matters  according  to  agree- 
ment.    When  the  boat  stopped  at  Ontonagon  I 


^2  EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 

sent  a  message  to  Mr.  Cash,  saying  I  was  aboard 
and  would  like  to  have  him  come  to  the  boat. 
He  came,  and  catching  me  by  the  hand,  said:  '1 
am  very  glad  to  see  you  and  am  only  sorry  that 
you  cannot  see  me,"  and  adds,  "I  suppose  I 
know  your  mission.  You  are  going  away  for 
treatment  and  want  some  money  for  your 
expenses."  I  told  him  he  had  guessed  it;  that 
I  had  made  arrangements  to  be  gone  six  months 
or  as  long  as  would  be  required  to  be  able  to 
SEE  him  on  my  return.  Then  he  told  me  that 
money  was  out  of  the  question;  there  had  been 
banlc  failures  throughout  the  country  and  that 
he  had  not  a  dollar  that  was  worth  five  cents, 
either  to  me  or  anybody  else,  and  that  to  raise 
one  hundred  dollars  w^ould  be  an  impossibility. 
I  then  told  the  captain  he  might  as  well  put  me 
ashore  and  that  I  would  get  back  home  as  best 
I  could.  "You  will  not  make  another  trip  up 
this  season,  but  I  can  get  back  i  a  a  canoe  with 
someone  to  guide  me."  The  captain  replied: 
"I  will  do  no  such  thing.  Come  to  Cleveland 
with  me  and  I  will  take  you  to  Grarlick  &  Ack- 
ley,  an  eye  infirmary,  and  will  arrange  with 
them  for  your  treatment. "  Thankfully  I  accept- 
ed the  offer.  1  then  asked  Mr.  Cash  to  give  me 
the  contract  which  1  had  signed.  "Oh!"  he 
says,  '  'that  contract  is  valueless  now,  as  I  have 
never  paid  you  any  money  upon  it,  and  1  have 
not  got  it  here,  either,  but  will  mail  it  to  you  at 
Cleveland  or  any  place  you  direct  after  you  get 
settled." 

I  went  to  Cleveland  and  my  eyes  were  exam- 
ined   by  Garlick  &  Ackley,    oculists,  of  that 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 

place,  and  they  said  they  could  not  help  me. 
After  two  days  in  Cleveland,  Captain  Turner' 
drove  up  to  the  office  and  informed  me  that  he 
should  make  another  trip  up  the  lakes  that  fall 
and  as  the  doctors  had  told  him  they  could  not 
help  me,  I  could  return  with  him  to  my  home  or 
remain  as  I  preferred.  Both  doctors  having 
told  me  that  my  case  was  a  hopeless  one  as  far 
as  they  knew,  I  returned  home  with  the  captain, 
wholly  discouraged  and  disheaitened.  I  had  a 
few  dollars  in  my  pocket  with  which  I  tried  to 
buy  some  provisions  to  take  home  with  me,  but 
was  quickly  informed  that  it  was  vaueless. 
This  was  during  the  great  financial  panic  of 
1857.  I  arrived  home  safely  and  found  my 
family  well,  the  first  pleasing  thing  I  li?.d  met 
with  in  a  number  of  months. 

I  never  received  the  contract  back  from  Mr. 
Cash,  and  never  saw  him  but  once  afterward, 
and  that  wp  3  aboard  a  steamboat  bound  for 
below,  and  he  was  too  sick  to  talk  of  business 
matters.  Shortly  afterward  I  was  told  that  he 
was  dead.  After  I  had  got  uix)n  my  feet  again 
and  was  able  to  look  after  my  business  I  found 
that  the  supposed  contract  then  in  the  hands  of 
his  heirs  turned  out  to  be  a  warranty  deed  to 
Daniel  S.  Cash  and  Jas.  Kelly,  whom  I  never 
saw,  of  an  undivided  one-half  of  the  mile  square 
before  described.  I  tried  to  employ  t.  ^ncil 
many  times  to  take  hold  of  the  matter,  but  not 
having  money  to  advance  for  such  'services,  I 
failed  to  obtain  any  help  in  that  direction.  It 
would  have  been  impossible,  however,  had  I 
then  had  the  property  clear  of  indebtedness  to 


64  EARLY  INDIAN  HISTORY. 

have  realized  any  money  upon  it  or  from  its  sale, 
because  there  was  a  general  stagnation  in  all 
business  throughout  the  northwest  for  quite  a 
number  of  years.  Many  people  abandoned 
their  homes  and  property,  leaving  behind  but 
very  few  white  people,  and  soon  following  this 
the  rebellion  broke  out.  This  state  of  lethargy 
continued  for  six  or  seven  years. 

I  had  frequent  talks  with  friends  who  had 
known  me  for  years,  and  knew  how  my  business 
matters  stood,  as  to  what  I  had  better  do.  All 
were  familiar  Avith  the  fact  that  I  had  deeded  to 
Mr.  Prentice  an  undivided  one-half  of  that  prop- 
erty and  had  received  one  or  two  payments  upon 
it,  but  none  believed  I  had  ever  received  a 
penny  for  the  half  that  the  heirs  of  Cash  and 
Kelly  claimed  to  own,  and  I  never  saw  the  James 
Kelly  to  whom  that  deed  appears  to  have  been 
given,  nor  never  heard  of  him  except  through 
this  deed.  It  appeared  that  he  lived  in  Cleve- 
land. Had  I  ever  received  any  considerable 
amount  from  Cash  on  this  one-half  of  that  prop- 
erty my  neighbors  would  have  known  it,  for 
they  well  knew  my  circumstances  all  these  years, 
and  that  I  had  been  financially  embarrassed. 

After  trying  different  oculists  without  getting 
any  relief  I  had  about  given  up  hope  of  ever 
seeing  again,  when  by  a  mere  accident  my  sight 
was  partially  restored.  It  was  about  the  middle 
of  December,  1860,  when  one  of  my  teamsters 
complained  one  day  tnat  a  tree  had  fallen  across 
his  road  and  he  could  not,  or  would  not,  cut  it 
out.  Being  irritable,  cross  and  morose  under  my 
forced  restraint,  I  jumped  from  my  darkened 


EARLY   INDIAN  HISTORY.  65 

''        room  and  told  him  to  lead  me  to  the  tree  and  I 

would  cut  the  tree  from  the  road,  and  although 

I  knew  I  wag  doing  a  foolish  thing,   I  took 

hold  of  the  stakes  at  the  rear  of  the  sleigh  and 

followed  to  the  obstruction.     I  then  told  the 

■        driver  to  bring  the  axe  and  lead  me  to  the  tree. 

The  first  blow  I  struck  the  tree — which  proved 

to  be  a  sappy  balsam — a  bulb  of  balsam  sap  flew 

up  under  the  bandage  or  shade  which  I  had 

over  my  eyes  and  struck  squarely  in  my  right 

eye.     1  yelled  with  pain  and  told  the  teranster 

to  take  me  back  to  the  house  and  it  was  not 

,        until  1  had  reached  there  that  I  knew  what 

!        had  happened.     My  wife  found  spatters  of  bal- 

'        sam  on  my  cheek  and  also  found  that  a  fihn 

which  covered  the  eye  had  been  broken.      She 

then  began  a  balsam  treatment  which  proved  to 

'        be  just  the  thing  to  effect  a  cure  of  the  inflama- 

I        tion  1  had  suffered  for  so  many  years.     She  con- 

f:       tinned  the  use  of  the  balsam  and  in  three  weeks 

^        I  was  able  to  be  out  of  doors  without  assistance, 

;        and  the  next  spring  my  eyes  were  healthy  and 

f       strong,  though  not  clear,  and  never  will  be,  I 

I        do  not  think. 

In  the  spriug  of  1861 1  was  appointed  by  Com- 
missioner Dole,  who  had  charge  of  Indian 
affairs  under  President  Lincoln,  to  act  as  special 
interpreter  for  Gen.  L.  E.  Webb,  the  Indian 
Agent  at  Bayfield,  Wisconsin,  and  Clark  W. 
Thompson,  superintendent  of  Indian  affairs  in 
the  northwest,  who  was  located  in  St.  Paul, 
Minnesota.  I  accepted  the  appointment  and 
perf o  "med  the  duties  of  interpreter  until  the  fall 
of  186'A.     I  moved  my  family  from  Oak  Island  - 


66  EARLY   INDIAN  HISTORY. 

to  Bayfield,    which  was  my  home  while  thus 
engaged. 

During  the  summer  of  1862  a  scare  was  started^ 
throughout  this  country  to  the  effect  that  an, 
uprising  .of  the  Indians  was  quite  likely,  whiclji 
resulted  in  bringing  three  companies  of  soldiers 
to  Bayfield  and  the  same  number  to  Superi|Or. 
When  the  troops  arrived  at  Superior  it  was  a 
surprise  both  to  the  white  people  and  to  the 
Indians.  The  soldiers  pitched  their  tents,  threw 
out  their  pickets,  and  matters  looked  quite  war- 
like. It  happened  that  an  Indian  who  had  been 
out  hunting  a  few  days,  came  in  that  night,  and, 
at  the  picket  line  he  was  halted.  Not  knowing 
that  soldiers  w^ere  there  or  what  the  charge 
meant,  he  halted,  but  immediately  proceeded 
forward  and  was  shot  down  by  the  soldier. 
This  created  quite  an  excitement  for  awhile,  as 
it  was  not  known  what  effect  it  would  have  on, 
the  Indians,  but  it  was  thought  it  might  incite 
them  to  seek  revenge,  but  nothing  of  a  serious 
nature  resulted  from  it. 

Agent  Webb,  myself  and  others  had  frequent 
talks  over  the  general  outlook  for  Indian 
troubles  and  it  was  finally  decided  to  take  a 
delegation  on  a  trip  through  the  states  and  to 
Washington,  as  such  a  trip  would  give  the  dele- 
gation a  rare  chance  to  see  the  w^hite  soldiers 
and  to  thus  impress  upon  their  minds  the  futil- 
ity of  any  further  recourse  to  arms  on  their  part. 
Agent  Webb  arranged  the  matter  and  was 
directed  to  have  me  select  the  delegation.  1 
selected  a  party  of  nine  chiefs  from  the  differ- 
ent reservations,    made  up  as    follows:     Ah- 


EAKLY   INDIAN   HISTORY.  67 

moose,  or  '  'Little  Bee, "  from  Lac  Flambeau  res- 
ervation; Kish-ke-taw-ug,  or  *'Cut  Ear,"  Bad 
River  reservation;  Ba-quas,  or  "He  Sews,"  Lao 
Cburt  O'Rielles  reservation;  Ah-do-ga-zik,  or 
"Last  Day,"  Bad  River  reservation;  O-be-qnot, 
or  "Firm,"  Fond  du  Lac  reservation;  Sliing- 
quak-onse,  or  "Little  Pine,"  and  Ja-ge-gwa-yo, 
or  "Can't  Tell,"  La  Pointe  reservation;  Na-gon- 
ai),  or  "He  Sits  Ahead,"  Fond  du  Lac  reserva- 
tion, and  O-ma-shin-a-way,  or  "Messenger,"  Ead 
River  reservation.  We  set  out  about  Decem- 
ber 1st,  1861,  going  from  Bayfield,  Wis.,  to  St. 
Paul,  Minn.,  by  trail,  and  from  St.  Paul 
to  La  Crosse,  Wis.,  by  stage,  and  by  rail 
the  balance  of  the  way  to  Washington.  Grreat 
crowds  of  soldiers  were  seen  at  all  points  east 
of  La  Crosse,  besides  train  loads  of  them  all 
along  the  whole  route.  Reaching  Washington 
I  showed  them  30,000  or  40,000  soldiers  in  ca^mp 
and  they  witnessed  a  number  of  drills  and 
parades,  which  had  a  salutory  effect  upon 
their  ideas  of  comparative  strength  with  their 
white  brothers.  Being  continually  with  them 
I  frequently  heard  r,  marks  passing  between 
them  that  showed  their  thoughts  respecting  the 
strength  of  the  white  race.  '  'There  is  no  end 
to  them,"  said  one.  "They  are  like  the  trees  in 
our  forest"  said  another.  I  was  furnished  with 
a  pass  to  take  them  to  the  navy  yard  and  to 
visit  the  barracks  of  the  Army  of  the  Patomac, 
at  which  place  one  of  them  remarked  that  the 
great  father  had  more  soldiers  in  Washington 
alone  than  there  were  Indians  in  the  northwest, 
including  Chippewas  and  Sioux,  and  that  his 


68  EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 

ammunition  and  provisions  never  gave  out.  We 
remained  In  the  city  about  forty  days  and  had 
interviews  with  thW  Indian  Commissioner  and 
the  President,  and  I  was  allowed  the  privilege 
of  a  partial  examination  into  the  records,  show- 
ing the  annuities  due  the  Indians  on  annuity 
arrearages,  but  the  excitement  incident  to  the 
war  precluded  any  extended  examination  which 
would  lead  to  a  settlement  of  their  arrearages 
at  that  time.  The  President  made  a  short 
speech  to  the  Indians  at  one  of  these  interviews, 
at  which  he  said  : 

"My  children,  when  you  are  ready,  go  home 
and  tell  your  people  what  the  great  father  said 
to  you;  tell  them  that  as  soon  as  the  trouble 
with  my  white  children  is  settled  I  will  call  you 
back  and  see  that  you  are  paid  every  dollar  that 
is  your  due,  provided  I  am  here  to  attend  to  it, 
and  in  case  I  am  not  here  to  attend  to  it  myself, 
I  shall  instruct  my  successor  to  fulfill  the 
promises  I  make  you  here  to-day. ' 

After  visiting  all  places  of  interest  in  Wash- 
ington, and  about  a  week  after  the  last  inter- 
view with  the  President,  we  set  out  on  our  home 
journey,  going  by  way  of  New  York  City,  where 
we  stayed  two  or  three  days,  purchasing  goods 
and  presents  for  the  chiefs  to  take  home  to  their 
families  and  relatives.  ,  in  all  amounting  to 
$1,500,  which  had  been  placed  in  my  hands  by 
the  government  for  that  purpose.  This  was,  in 
all  probability  the  most  pleasant  stop  of  the  trip. 
We  stopped  two  days  at  Chicago  on  our  return, 
from  there  going  to  La  Crosse  by  rail,  where  we 
took  boat  for  St.  Paul.     We  were  compelled  to 


ij  I 


iff* 


ill 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY.  69. 

take  trail  from  St.  Paul  and  arrived  in  Bayfield 
about  the  middle  of  April,  1862. 

During  this  season  Agent  Webb,  Samuel  S. 
Vaughn,  and  one  or  two  others  frequently  talked 
with  me  about  my  prospects  in  the  "mile 
square"  question,  and  said  it  was  too  bad  to  lose 
it  all  for  it  was  sure  tb  be  valuable,  and  from 
time  to  time  they  would  propose  what  they 
would  do,  and  one  day  asked  me  w^hat  I  would 
take  for  a  quit-claim  deed  of  the  undivided  one- 
half  which  I  had  sold  to  Mr.  Prentice.  That  if 
they  had  it  they  would  take  the  matter  into  the 
courts,  and  thought  there  would  be  no  trouble 
in  proving  the  claim  of  Daniel  S.  Cash  a  swindle, 
because  I  had  never  received  a  cent  from  him. 
I  told  them  I  could  not  do  it  for  I  had  already 
given  a  warranty  deed  to  Mr.  Prentice.  They 
said  they  were  aware  of  that  fact,  and  did  not 
expect  to  make  anything  out  of  that  part  of  it, 
and  should  not  try  to  do  so,  but  that  I  could 
give  a  quit-claim  de^  to  any  property,  whether 
I  owned  it  or  not.  I  told  them  I  would  consider 
it,  and  I  advised  with  others  who  told  me  that  I 
could  give  a  quit-claim  deed  if  I  wished  to,  and 
as  I  held  no  claim  to  that  half  I  could  lose  noth- 
ing, and  one  man  stated  I  could  give  a  quit- 
claim deed  to  the  Mississippi  River  if  a  pur- 
chaser could  be  found.  The  matter  was  talked 
over  a  number  of  times,  but  nothing  came  of  it 
until  the  following  season,  when  they  came  to 
me  in  a  confidential  way  and  thought  the  best 
thing  that  I  could  do  was  to  give  them  that 
deed.  Saying  at  the  same  time,  '  'we  must  give 
you  something  for  it,   as  a  deed  would  not  be 


70  EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 

legal  without  a  consideration.  We  will  give 
you  four  or  five  hundred  dollars  so  as  to  make 
the  transaction  appear  a  legitimate  one. "  Then 
they  would  have  a  clear  foundation  to  com- 
mence suit.  I  told  them  I  was  not  posted  in 
law,  and  did  not  want  to  get  into  any  trouble, 
for  I  had  been  led  into  a  good  many  scrapes 
already,  and  came  out  loser  every  time.  Gen. 
Webb  said  :  "We  are  your  friends,  not  your 
enemies,  and  We  are  not  seeking  to  blind  or 
kill  you.  If  we  don't  make  anything  out  of  it 
for  ourselves  we  can't  for  you,  but  if  we  can 
make  anything  for  you  we  are  satisfied  we  can 
for  ourselves. "  I  finally  agreed  to  do  it.  The 
deed  was  prepared  and  Mr.  Vaughn  brought  it 
to  me  for  signature  and  gave  me  five  hundred 
dollars. 

During  the  summer  of  1862  Clark  W.  Thomp- 
son, Indian  superintendent  at  St.  Paul,  came  to 
Bayfield  to  assist  in  the  distribution  of  annuities 
to  the  Indians  of  the  lake.  We  first  went  to 
Grand  Portage  and  gave  out  the  annuities, 
returned  to  Bad  'River  and  gave  them  out  there. 
While  at  Bad  River  Mr.  Thompson  told  me  that 
he  thought  I  would  be  required  to  go  to  St.  Paul 
as  there  were  some  matters  up  the  Mississippi 
relating  to  Indian  affairs  that  he  wanted  to  have 
investigated.  On  his  return  he  said  he  would 
find  out  more  about  them  and  let  me  know.  A 
short  time  afterward  news  reached  him  that  the 
Indians  in  the  vicinity  of  Red  River  and  Leech 
Lake  had  captured  a  mail  boat  on  Red  River 
and  had  burned  it,  and  sent  word  to  me  to  come 
to  St.   Paul  as  soon  as  I  could.     He  gave  me 


EARLY    INDIAN    HISTORY.  71 

written  instructions  to  go  to  Red  River,  or  far 
enough  to  ascertain  if  the  boat  had  been  burned 
and  try  and  induce  the  Indians  to  come  to 
Leech  Lake,  for  himself  and  others  would  be 
there  to  meet  them.  I  went  and  found  the 
boat  all  right  and  the  story  a  fabrication.  I 
found  the  country  in  a  complete  uproar,  for 
news  had  reached  the  Indians  that  the  great 
father  was  going  to  send  soldiers  there  because 
he  had  heard  that  the  Indians  had  burned  his 
boat  that  carried  papers  and  they  had  retreated 
back  into  the  forest  to  get  out  of  the  way.  I 
had  much  difficulty  in  finding  them  as  every- 
body seemed  to  be  afraid  of  their  lives.  The 
Chippewas  were  behaving  badly  for  they  had 
taken  the  report  for  granted.  The  whites  saw 
the  Chippewas  on  one  side  and  the  Sioux  on  the 
other,  and  all  seemed  to  think  they  would  unite 
in  one  general  massacre. 

The  third  day  of  my  search,  just  before  sun- 
set, I  found  a  lake,  and  looking  towards  its 
head  I  saw  smoke  rising,  probably  four  miles 
away  in  a  direct  line.  Following  the  shore  and 
picking  my  way  through  the  brush,  I  reached 
the  Indian  camp  at  about  9  p.  m.  When  near 
by,  perhaps  a  mile  distant,  I  struck  into  a  hard 
beaten  trail  which  led  me  to  their  wigwams.  I 
made  no  halt,  but  proceeded  straight  to  their 
wigwams,  and  picking  out  the  wigwam  that  I 
Judged  by  its  size  to  be  the  chief's  lodge,  I  ap- 
proached it  and  saw  no  person,  not  even  a  dog 
to  bark  at  me,  until  I  reached  the  lodge  and 
raised  the  cariboo  skin  that  hung  at  the 
entrance,  and  entered  without  being  discovered. 


72  EARLY    INDIAN   HISTORY. 

When  inside  the  wigwam  I  found  a  large  Indian 
stretched  upon  the  ground  beside  the  fire  smok- 
ing his  pipe,  the  balance  of  the  inmates  lying 
around  and  in  sitting  positions  about  the  wig- 
wam. Had  their  eyes  been  guns  I  should  have 
feared  them  and  expected  a  killing  at  once,  but, 
knowing  their  customs  and  habits  so  well,  and 
that  my  appearance  w^as  a  complete  surprise,  I 
had  to  play  a  little  Indian  part  myself.  Taking 
my  pipe  I  filled  and  lighted  it  and  smoked 
awhile  to  show  them  I  felt  at  home.  Pro- 
found silence  prevailed  up  to  this  time.  1  then 
seated  myself  upon  the  little  bundle  I  was  car- 
rying and  spoke  to  the  Indian  in  his  own  lan- 
guage, by  asking  him  where  the  chiefs  wigwam 
was.  He  sprang  to  his  feet  and  reaching  out 
his  hand,  exclaimed: 

"How  is  this!  You  white  man  and  speak  our 
laaiguage  perfectly!  I  am  surprised,"  he  said, 
"at  your  getting  into  our  camp  without  our 
dogs  discovering  you." 

At  the  mention  of  dogs  my  hair  fairly  stood 
erect  for  I  then  remembered  that  they  had 
Esquimaux  dogs.  The  chief  said  they  had 
forty  or  fifty  of  them  then  on  guard.  They 
all  knew  me  by  reputation  when  I  told  them 
who  I  was  and  they  at  once  knew  me  as  the 
adopted  son  of  Buifalo,  of  the  Lake  Superior 
Chippewas.  I  told  them  my  mission.  That  the 
great  father  had  heard  that  the  Indians  had 
burned  his  boat  which  carried  papers.  I  told 
them  I  had  been  to  the  river  and  found  the 
boat  all  right;  that  I  wanted  them  to  go  with 
me  to  Leech  Lake,  as  it  was  their  great  father's 


EARLY    INDIAN   HISTORY.  73 

request,  that  they  would  meet  their  great  fath- 
er's agent  there  who  lived  in  St.  Paul,  and  oth- 
ers, to  have  a  talk  over  this  matter,  and  that 
everything  would  be  all  right  and  their  St. 
Paul  father  would  give  them  presents.     "Big 

Dog,"  being  the  head  chief  of  the  party,  tlit^u 
sent  a  lad  to  call  in  his  chiefs,  and  to  one  of  his 
women  he  said,  ' '  go  and  see  what  you  can  get 
for  our  friend's  supper, "  and  the  other  women 
and  children  he  directed  to  leave  the  wigwam. 
My  supper  was  brought  and  the  chiefs  and  men 
congregated,  and  while  I  was  eating  they  had  a 
general  conversation,  and  all  expressed  their 
surprise  that  I  could  approach  their  camp  with- 
out being  torn  in  pieces  by  the  dogs.  We  talked 
and  joked  almost  the  whole  night  and  next  day 
preparations  were  made  for  the  trip  to'  Leech 
Lake,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  second  day  we 
set  out  with  about  twenty  Indians.  Arriving 
at  Leech  Lake  we  found  the  commissioners  there 
as  they  had  promised.  Those  present  were: 
Clark  W.  Thompson,  Superintendent  of  Indian 
Affairs;  Jessie  Ramsey,  James  Thompson,  broth- 
er of  the  superintendent,  and  John  Ferron,  of 
St.  Paul.  1  told  the  party  I  had  found  the  boat 
all  right,  not  a  thing  had  been  taken  and 
that  she  was  tied  up  to  trees  along  the  bank  of 
the  river,  and  that  the  greater  portion  of  the 
Indians  were  more  frightened  than  the  whites; 
how  I  had  found  them  huddled  together  at  the 
head  of  a  lake  which  was  heavily  wooded  at  the 
northend;  that  I  had  been  delayed  in  my  search 
for  them  as  I  was  a  stranger  in  the  Jocality  and 


74  EARLY  INDIAN   HISTOEY. 


U- 


iit  I 


: 


Hi 


could  get  no  guide  owing  to  the  excitement 
through  the  country. 

After  1  had  related  my  story  to  the  commis- 
sioners, Mr.  Thompson  said:  "I  would  not  have 
taken  that  risk  for  the  world. "  The  superin- 
tendent told  the  Indians  he  was  very  sorry  that 
the  story  of  the  burning  of  the  boat  had  been 
st  irted  as  it  had  given  their  groat  father  much 
trouble  and  the  Indians  also,  and  as  he  knew 
they  could  not  help  these  reports  and  as  the 
reports  had  been  proven  untrue,  he  felt  it  his 
duty  on  behalf  of  the  great  father,  to  make 
them  some  presents  in  "provisions  and  goods, 
which  we  will  turn  over  to  your  friend  to  give 
you  as  he  chooses. "  The  warehouse  was  opened 
and  I  was  told  to  make  the  distribution.  I  load- 
ed each  one  down  and  the  next  day  they  started 
for  home,  thanking  me  especially  by  saying: 
"No  other  white  man  would  have  clone  this  for 
us,  and  we  Lope  to  see  the  day  when  we  can  do 
you  a  kind  act."  After  a  general  hand-shaking 
the  Indians  started  for  l^ome.  The  next  morning 
at  day-break  the  superintendent  and  party  left 
for  home  also.  Reaching  Crow  Wing  next  day 
I  was  left  there  to  investigate  some  matters  and 
settle  some  trouble  that  had  been  brewing  for 
some  time  between  the  agent  at  Crow  Wing  and 
the  Indians.  I  remained  there  about  cen  days 
and  found  matters  in  bad  shape.  Ireported  to 
Mie  superintendent  what  I  had  found  and  he 
came  up  to  v>row  Wing  and  had  a  talk  with  the 
agent.  Just  what  the  trouble  was  I  never 
ascertained,   but  shortly  afterward  the    agent 


EARLY   INDIAN  HISTORY.  TS-* 

committed  suicide  and  all  was  kept  dark 
from  me.  I  returned  to  St.  Paul  with  the 
superintendent,  and  on  the  way  he  said 
there  wat  likely  to  be  trouble  with  the 
Sioux,  as  they  had  been  waiting  for  their  annu- 
ities for  a  long  time  and  were  getting  restless 
and  were  dissatisfied,  and  he  would  like  to  have 
me  go  with  him  to  New  Ulm,  the  Sioux  agency, 
which  I  did.  We  found  there  was  much  rest- 
lessness among  the  Indians  and  equally  as 
much  among  the  white  traders.  I  found  parties 
the  first  night  I  was  there  among  the  Sioux  who  - 
spoke  the  Chippewa  tongue,  and  talked  with 
them.  I  found  out  the  feeling  that  prevailed  ' 
among  their  people.  I  talked  with  Bill  Taylor, 
a  half-breed  negro,  who  made  a  business  of 
attending  Indian  payments  for  the  purpose  of 
gambling,  and  as  he  spoke  the  Sioux  language 
he  told  me  what  the  Indians  and  traders  were 
saying.  The  traders  were  continually  telling 
the  Indians  to  receive  nothing  but  coin  in  the 
payment.  I  heard  at  one  or  two  other  trading 
posts  the  same  thing,  and  knowing  that  coin 
was  a  scarce  article  just  at  this  time  in  the 
United  States,  I  informed  the  superintendent  of 
what  was  going  on,  and  gave  it  as  my  opinion - 
that  unless  they  were  paid  right  away  there, 
would  be  trouble.  The  superintendent  called 
the  chiefs  together  and  told  them  that  he  would' 
give  them  their  goods  annuities  at  once,  as  they 
were  then  on  the  ground,  and  then  th'^y  could 
ssnd  their  women  and  children  hone,  and  as 
soon  as    the  money    came  he   would    notify' 


76  EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 

them  and  they  could  come  for  it.     They  as?ked 

what  kind  of  money  it  would  be,  to  which  he 

answered  he  did  not  know,  but  whichever  kind 

it  was  he  would  pay  to  them.     He  could  not 

tell  them  what  kind  of  money  the  great  father 

had  on  hand,  but  thought  it  would  be  currency. 
They  then  demanded  coin  and  said  they  would 
not  take  greenbacks,  to  which  the  superintend- 
ent replied :  "I  will  go  right  back  to  St.  Paul 
and  if  the  great  father  has  not  sent  the  money 
I  will  borrow  it  and  return  as  quickly  as  1  can 
and  pay  you."  We  started  at  once  for  St.  Paul, 
but  before  we  arrived  there  we  heard  of  the 
terrible  uprising  of  the  Sioux  and  the  slaughter 
of  people.  This  was  the  awful  massacre  at  New 
Ulm,  with  which  everybody  is  so  familiar.  I 
attributed  the  whole  trouble  then  and  still  do, 
to  the  bad  advice  of  the  traders.  These  traders 
knew  that  all  the  money  the  Sioux  drew  would, 
in  a  short  time,  be  in  their  hands,  and  as  specie 
was  at  a  high  premium,  they  allowed  their  sp^^c- 
ulative  natures  to  get  the  better  of  their  judg- 
ment, the  penalty  of  which  was  the  forfeiture 
of  their  lives.  I  afterward  heard  that  Bill  Tay- 
lor was  first  among  the  dead. 

I  now  left  St.  Pari  and  went  to  my  home  in 
Bayfield  and  found  the  Indians  in  this  part  of 
the  country  peaceable  and  quiet.  After  being 
at  home  a  short  time  I  found  that  Agent  Webb 
and  four  or  five  others  were  bribing  boys  and 
children  to  come  in  and  swear  that  they  were 
entitled  to  an  eighty  acre  piece  of  land  that  the 
treaty  of  1854  provided  for  half-caste  and  mixed 


1  ii 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY.  77 

blood  people,  and  were  paying  them  from  ten  to 
twenty  dollars  apiece  for  their  scrips,  as  the  cir- 
cumstances required.  I  made  up  my  mind  that 
I  would  be  drawn  into  the  rascally  scheme  by 
implication,  if  I  remained  in  the  employ  of  the 

government  under  Gen.  Webb,  so  I  threw  up 
my  position  and  left  Bayfield,  going  to  the  cop- 
per mines  on  Bad  River,  where  I  remained  dur- 
ing the  summer,  only  going  to  Bayfield  two  or 
three  times  that  season.  From  here  I  took  my 
family  to  Portage  Lake,  Michigan,  to  keep  out 
of  the  way,  and  remained  away  until  the  spring 
of  1870. 

During  the  interim  I  met  Mr.  Webb  at 
Houghton,  Michigan,  and  asked  him  what  had 
been  done  with  the  quit-claim  deed  I  had  given 
to  himself  and  Mr.  Vaughn.  He  told  me  that 
he  had  employed  attorneys  in  St.  Paul  and  it 
would  not  be  long  until  I  should  hear  from  it. 
I  never  saw  Mr.  Webb  again  and  did  not  know 
what  became  of  the  deed  until  I  went  into  court 
in  St.  Paul,  in  the  year  1884,  I  think,  when  I 
ascertained  that  the  deed  had  gone  into  the 
hands  of  a  man  by  the  name  of  (Oilman,  whom 
I  had  never  seen  before  that  time.  I  spoke  to 
Mr.  Vaughn  after  this  and  asked  him  how  it 
was  that  the  deed  had  passed  from  his  hands. 
He  laughed  and  said  it  made  no  difference  who 
held  the  deed  as  he  did  not  consider  that  it 
would  ever  amount  to  anything  as  Prentice  held 
a  warranty  from  me  for  one-half  and  he  thought 
that  Cash  would  hold  the  other  half  under  the 
contract  or  deed  I  gave  him,  and  that  he  had 


78  EARLY  INDIAN  HISTORY. 

given  the  matter  up.  I  told  him  that  at  Bome 
future  time  I  should  require  him  in  court,  but 
before  my  case  was  reached  in  which  parole  tes- 
timony was  taken,  Mr.  Vaughn  died,  and  as 
Mr.  Webb  was  dead  also,  the  matter  to  this  day 
remains  unsettled. 


iiin 


iiiiii 


CHAPTER  IV. 


TiRST  Payment  Under  Treaty  of  1854. — Swamp 
AND  Overflowed  Lands. — Death  of  Chief 
Buffalo. — An  Indian  Tradition. — An  Axe, 
A  Gun  and  a  Knife,  the  First  They  Had 
Ever  Seen. 

I  will  now  go  back  to  1855. 

About  the  middle  of  September  word  was 
sent  me  at  Oak  Island  by  Agent  Gilbert  that 
the  annuities  had  arrived  for  the  first  payment 
under  the  treaty  of  '54,  and  if  I  was  able  to 
attend  he  should  be  pleased  to  have  me  do  so; 
that  he  had  some  talking  to  do  with  the  Indians 
and  that  they  as  well  as  himself  would  like  to 
have  me  present  to  hear  it.  I  arranged  matters 
to  leave  Oak  Island  and  as  I  owned  a  house  at 
La  Pointe  moved  my  family  there  for  the  fall, 
that  I  might  have  their  care.  Chief  Buffalo 
had  been  prescribing  for  and  treating  my  eyes 
and  as  he  was  then  sick  at  La  Pointe  I  had  par- 
ties take  me  to  his  home.     I  had  not  talked  with 


m 


80  EAKLY   INDIAN  HISTORY. 

him  more  than  an  hour  "when  it  became  appar- 
ent that  he  was  quite  feeble.  I  bought  him 
articles  of  food  and  did  all  I  could  for  his  com- 
fort that  night  and  the  next  morning  visited 
the  agent  and  commissioners  and  told  them  of 
the  old  chief's  illness  and  said  I  did  not  think 
he  "would  be  able  to  attend  the  councils  that 
fall.  Col  Manypenny  and  myself  visited  the 
old  man  that  day.  The  Colonel  gave  him  his 
best  wishes  and  told  him  that  anything  he 
wished  to  eat  should  be  brought  to  him  and 
hoped  in  a  day  or  two  he  would  be  able  to  come 
down  and  hear  what  the  agent  had  to  say.     But 

iill  the  old  man  was  never  able  to  attend  the  coun- 

cils more. 
The  Indians  were  all  in  from  the  interior  and 

11  the  council  was  called.       The  commissioners 

told  the  Indians  that  their  last  treaty  had  been 
ratified  and  that  their  great  father  had  signed 
>  it;  that  the  treaty  had  not  been  changed;  that 

all  they  had  asked  for  had  been  conceded,  both 
in  regard  to  the  reservations  and  the  script 
which  was  to  go  to  the  half-breeds  and  that 
the  household  goods  which  were  to  go  to  the 
mixed  bloods  and  to  all  living  in  houses  he  had 
brought  along  and  would  give  them  out  and  he 
hoped  they  would  all  move  onto  their  reserva- 
tions and  have  their  young  men  clear  lands  and 
build  fences,  "for  next  year  the  great  father 
will  cause  houses  to  be  built  for  you  and  you 
can  rest  assured  that  no  white  man  shall  enter 
your  reservation  to  claim  or  to  hold  any  por- 
tion of  it,  except  it  be  such  ones  as  the  chief 
desires  should  live  there,  and  that  all  the  land 

■pi!'  ■      .  .  ... 


3 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY.  81 

embodied  in  these  several  tracts  are  yours,  to  be 
your  permanent  homes  and  the  sooner  you  im- 
prove your  land  and  open  up  garden  spots  the 
sooner  your  great  father  will  send  you  horses, 
cattle  and  farming  implements  to  work  with 
and  if  at  any  time  any  white  men  invades  your 
reservation  for  the  purpose  of  taking  your  tim- 
ber, or  your  minerals,  or  anything  else,  you 
must  at  once  notify  the  great  father  and  he  will 
stop  them  and  make  them  pay  you  for  all  dam- 
age they  may  have  done. " 

As  I  have  stated  heretofore  that  misunder- 
standings always  crept  into  treaties,  and  as  the 
treaty  of  '54  was  no  exception,  I  will  state  what 
they  were.  Notwithstanding  all  the  cai,'e  that 
was  taken  and  all  the  precaution  used  which 
our  foresight  could  devise,  and  after  everyone 
understood,  and  positively  too,  that  the  reserva- 
tions should  be  and  forever  remain  the  home  of 
the  Indian  alone,  it  was  only  a  few  years  after 
they  were  set  apart  that  white  men  came  and 
claimed  to  own  every  sixteenth  section  of  their 
land  under  the  state  school  land  laws.  Follow- 
ing these  came  men  who  claimed  to  have 
acquired  title  to  all  the  swamp  and  overflowed 
lands  on  the  reservations,  depriving  the  Indians 
of  their  rice  fields,  cranberry  marshes  and  hay 
meadows.  Many  times  have  the  Indians  asked 
their  agent  how  this  was  and  why  it  was  so,  but 
never  received  any  satisfactory  answer.  All  the 
troubles  with  the  Indians  of  the  northwest  can 
be  traced  directly  to  such  misunderstandings, 
and  as  is  well  known  the  Indian  in  every  case 
got  the  worst  of  it.     Still  people  wonder  what 


I 


I 


Hi 


ll 


iiin 


82  EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 

makes  the  Indians  so  troublesome.  Why  don't 
the  white  people  kill  them  off  and  done  with 
it,  etc? 

Now  returning  to  the  annuity  payment  at  La 
Pointe,  where  I  left  the  agent  giving  the 
Indians  advice  and  making  them  promises,  and 
from  which  I  left  off  to  speak  of  treaties  not 
being  lived  up  to  on  the  part  of  the  govern- 
ment. Chief  Buffalo  not  being  able  to  meet 
the  commissioners,  I  requested  them  to  go  with 
me  to  see  him,  stating  that  I  did  not  think  he 
would  last  more  than  two  or  three  days  and  I 
should  like  to  have  them  talk  with  him  on  bus- 
iness matters,  as  he  had  told  me  himself  that 
he  could  live  but  a  few  days  at  most.  In  the 
afternoon  they  went  with  me,  taking  along 
their  interpreter.  I  told  them  I  wished  they 
would  ask  him  if  he  .desired  to  change  any  of 
his  former  devices  in  the  reservations  he  had 
made.  They  asked  him  and  he  replied  that  he 
did  not.  He  only  requested  that  they  be  carried 
out  as  he  had  formerly  directed.  After  some 
further  talk  the  commissioners  left,  but  I 
remained  with  the  old  veteran  until  he  died.  I 
gave  him  a  decent  burial.  Calling  all  parties 
together  we  formed  a  procession  and  marched 
to  the  Catholic  cemetery  at  La  Pointe  where  we 
laid  the  old  chief  to  rest.  I  ordered  and  placed 
in  position  a  tombstone  at  the  head  of  his  grave 
and  also  one  at  the  grave  of  Chief  O-sho-ga, 
which  are  there  to-day. 

Here  I  wish  to  digress  again  to  give  an  Indian 
tradition,  a  legend  handed  down  to  Buffalo  and 
was  one  of  many,  eome  of  which  had  come  down 


ii 


m- 


M 

Q 


H 
I— I 

w 


M 


EARLY   INDIAN    HISTORY.  83 

for  three  hundred  yeai'B.  This  one,  as  near  as 
I  can  calculate,  must  be  about  two  hundred  and 
thirty  or  forty  years  old,  and  was  many  times 
repeated  to  me  by  Buffalo,  and  was  about  as 
follows : 

''My  great,  great-grandfather  was  a  very  im- 
portant chief  in  his  day,  and  had  a  band  of 
about  five  hundred  people.  They  had  lived  in 
one  place  a  long  time,  and  as  game  was  getting 
scarce  and  wood  for  the  fire  hard  to  obtain,  it 
became  necessary  to  select  another  place  to  live, 
and  it  was  their  custom  to  first  send  a  party  to 
look  the  country  over  to  see  if  there  was  any 
enemy  that  would  be  likely  to  molest  them  in 
moving  the  band.  The  old  chief  told  his  son, 
who  was  my  great-grandfather,  to  take  four 
young  men  and  go  and  explore  the  country  for 
a  place  to  remove  to.  After  these  five  scouts 
had  been  out  many  days  they  found  a  good 
place,  plenty  of  wood,  plenty  of  fish  and  close 
to  a  nice  river,  but  before  returning  they 
resolved  to  explore  still  a  little  further  in  the 
woods  from  the  river.  They  had  only  traveled 
a  short  distance,  however,  when  they  saw  a 
house  or  shanty  made  of  logs  and  poles,  the  first 
they  had  ever  seen.  They  dropped  to  the 
ground  and  crawled  cautiously  along,  being 
sure  to  keep  a  tree,  a  rock  or  a  log  between 
themselves  and  the  cabin,  and  slowly  crept 
along  to  discover  what  it  possibly  could  be,  ex- 
pecting at  any  moment  to  see  it  take  wings  and 
fly  away.  Presently  they  saw  a  man  come  out 
of  the  house  with  an  axe  in  his  hand,  who  began 
chopping  into  a  tree,  soon  felling  it  to  the  ground 


.-v^ 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


yi|28  12.5 
us  li£  12.2 
««   flA^    111112.0 


1.8 


11.25  !||||l.4   ill  1.6 


W 


Va 


v: 


V 


7 


/S^ 


f 


w 


1^ 


84  EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 

and  afterward  cut  it  into  wood  for  the  fire. 
That  was  something  they  had  never  seen  before, 
nor  had  they  ever  seen  an  axe.  After  he  had 
chopped  awhile  a  second  man  with  a  pale  and 
hairy  face  came  out  and  began  to  carry  the 
wood  into  the  cabin.  When  this  was  done  smd 
the  two  men  had  gone  back  into  the  house  and 
closed  the  door  the  Indiars  skulked  back  to 
a  safe  distance,  then  springing  to  their  feet  they 
ran  away  as  fast  as  they  could,  and  to  their  peo- 
ple to  tell  them  of  their  wonderful  discovery 
How  they  had  seen  a  house  and  two  pale  faced 
Indians  with  hair  all  over  their  face,  and  the 
wonderful  instrument  they  had  used  in  making 
wood  for  the  fire.  They  traveled  night  and  day 
so  as  to  reach  their  people  as  soon  as  they  could. 
When  they  had  returned  the  chief  notified  his 
head  men  that  the  scouting  party  had  returned 
and  to  come  at  once  and  hear  what  they  had  to 
say.  When  they  were  gathered  together  the 
scouts  told  their  wonderful  story  of  what  they 
had  seen  at  the  river,  which  they  had  selected 
for  their  future  home.  The  head  men  and 
braves  held  a  great  war  council,  but  none  of 
them  could  account  for  what  had  been  seen  by 
the  scouts.  The  old  chief  had  every  confidence 
in  his  son  and  said  :  ' '  My  son,  I  want  you  to 
take  twenty-five  of  our  best  and  bravest  men 
and  go  back  and  find  out  whether  they  are  ene- 
mies or  friends,  but  be  sure  you  do  not  harm 
tham  except  it  be  to  save  yourselves  from  being 
killed  or  injured."  Before  allowing  the  party 
to  depart  tifie  old  chief  called  on  his  men  to  at 
once  prepare  a  man-e-to-kos-o-wig-e-wam,  or  relig- 


llHHi 


EARLY    INDIAN    HISTORY.  8o 

ious  wigwam,  where  the  medicine  man  could 
talk  with  the  great  spirit,  to  find  out  if  there 
was  any  danger  ahead.  The  old  man  spent  the 
whole  night  in  the  wigwam  and  in  the  morning 
reported  that  the  way  was  clear  and  no  danger 
to  be  feared.  The  party  started  off  and  feeling 
that  they  were  safe  hurried  along  t  the  won- 
derful sight  at  the  river.  Arriving  there  the 
young  chief  pointed  to  the  cabin  and  the  party 
saw  J  t  as  described  to  them.  They  resolved  to 
crawl  up  as  the  party  had  done  before  and 
watch  for  what  might  happen.  Circling  them- 
selves as  closely  about  the  house  as  they  could 
without  being  observed  they  waited  for  devel- 
opments. They  had  not  waited  long  when  a 
man  came  out  as  before  and  began  chopping 
wood  and  another  man  came  out  and  carried  it 
in,  all  of  which  they  watched  w  ith  the  greatest 
interest.  The  men  returned  to  the  cabin  and 
the  Indians  continued  to  lay  low.  Soon  one  of 
the  men  came  out  with  a  pail  in  his  hand  and 
went  to  the  river,  and  returning  with  a  pail 
of  water,  went  quickly  into  the  house  and  imme- 
diately came  out  with  a  gun,  and  placing  it  to 
his  face  fired  it  and  fell  a  partridge  to  the 
ground.  The  sound  of  the  gun  struck  terror  to 
their  very  souls  and  if  they  could  have  done  so 
they  would  have  hidden  themselves  below  the 
ground.  But  stand  it  they  must,  at  least  until 
the  man  should  have  gone  back  into  the 
cabin.  The  man  reloaded  his  gun  and 
fired  again  and  another  partridge  fell.  The 
man  then  picked  up  the  birds  and  went 
into  the  shanty  carrying  the  birds  in  one  hand 


86  EARLY    INDIxVN    IllSTOKY. 

and  his  gun  in  the  other,  closing  the  door 
behind  him.  A  signal  from  the  young  chief 
soon  brought  the  party  a  safe  distance  from  the 
cabin  where  a  council  was  held.  Though  they 
were  all  nearly  frightened  out  of  their  wits,  it 
would  never  do  to  show  cowardice  by  running 
away,  and  it  was  decided  that  they  should  walk 
boldly  to  the  cabin  yard  and  there  form  a  half 
circle  and  wait  for  what  might  happen.  Keep- 
ing in  mind  the  old  chief's  warning  to  harm  no 
one  unless  absolutely  necessary,  they  foritied 
their  half  circle  close  to  the  cabin  without  being 
observed.  Presently  a  man  came  out  again  and 
found  himself  standing  in  the  presence  of 
twenty-six  full  fledgei  I  Indians,  fully  armed  and 
equipped  with  bows  and  arrows  and  spears  and 
was  as  much  frightened  as  the  Indians  had 
been  a  few  moments  before,  but  spoke  to  them. 
Presently  another  man  came  out  and  spoke  to 
them  and  beckoned  them  to  come  into  the  cabin, 
but  the  Indians  did  not  stir  or  speak  until  the 
third  man  came  out,  who  was  old,  with  white 
hair  and  white  beard  and  with  a  red  cap  on  his 
head  and  a  red  sash  around  his  waist,  which 
very  much  attracted  the  Indians'  attention,  it 
being  f,o  different  from  any  dress  they  had  ever 
seen  that  they  were  completely  thunderstruck, 
but  after  the  old  man  had  spoken  to  them  and 
showed  them  by  signs  that  they  were  friends 
and  not  enemies,  and  wanted  them  to  come 
into  the  cabin,  they  became  as  tame  as  pet 
rabits.  The  axe  and  the  gun,  together  with 
the  gaudy  dress  of  the  old  man  had  com- 
pletely captivated     them.      Now    the    traders 


EARLY    INDIAN    HISTORY.  87 

made  them  understand  that  they  would 
exchange  with  them  for  tlieir  robea  and  fur 
clothing,  blankets  or  trinkets  or  an  axe  to  chop 
wood  with,  or  a  knife  to  cut  sticks  or  skin  a 
deer  with  or  a  bear,  and  last  of  all  the  gun  to 
shoot  with,  and  after  explaining  to  them  as  best 
they  could  the  wonderful  gun  and  how  to  load 
and  shoot  it,  and  the  uses  to  which  the  axe  and 
knife  could  be  put,  an  exchange  of  articles  took 
place.  The  young  chief  determined  1 1  exchange 
his  fur  clothing  for  a  gun  and  ammunition  and 
an  axe  and  a  knife,  as  he  thought  they  would 
be  the  most  useful  to  his  people.  The  greatest 
curiosity  was  the  gun  and  the  next  greatest  was 
the  axe.  Now  being  provided  with  a  loaded 
gun  and  many  curiosities  and  much  information, 
they  set  out  for  home  with  light  hearts.  They 
ran  like  wild  cattle,  for  now  they  had  more 
wonders  to  relate  and  the  evidence  to  show  for 
it  they  carried  with  them  to  their  people,  and 
there  they  told  their  whole  story  of  what  they 
had  seen  and  heard  and  experienced.  The  axe 
was  the  first  to  exhibit,  and  it  was  a  great  won- 
der to  all.  Then  the  knife,  blankets,  articles 
of  clothing  and  trinkets  were  exhibited,  and 
last  of  all  the  gun,  the  greatest  wonder  in  all 
their  lives.  The  young  chief  told  them  how  the 
man  had  made  it  speak  to  a  partridge  ?-  nd  the 
bird  dropped  dead,  and  then  it  spoke  again  and 
another  dropped,  dead,  and  he  made  it  speak  to 
a  tree  and  the  tree  was  full  of  holes,  and  ' '  he 
told  me  it  would  speak  to  a  deer  and  the  deer 
would  die,  and  if  we  were  in  battle  it  would 
speak  to  our  enemies  and  they  would   die." 


88  EARLY    INDIAN    HISTORY. 

This  was  too  much  for  all  of  them  to  believe  at 
one  time,  and  many  had  their  doubts  about  the 
gun  doing  all  this,  and  one  old  warrior,  who  had 
been  in  many  battles  and  carried  many  scars 
from  the  enemy  and  wild  beasts,  and  who  was 
no  longer  of  any  assistance  to  his  people,  and 
who  was  sitting  near,  rose  to  his  feet  and  said  : 
' '  My  f rie  nds  :  I  do  not  think  that  gun  will  do 
what  they  say  it  will,  and  as  I  a  -i  no  longer  of 
any  use  to  you.  and  never  can  be,  I  will  go  and 
stand  on  that  little  knoll  and  you  may  let  it 
speak  to  me  and  we  will  see  what  it  will  do  to 
me."  The  old  man  hobbled  out  to  the  knoll 
and  sanding  erect,  said  :  ' '  Let  it  speak. "  The 
young  chief  took  up  the  gun  and  did  as  the 
trader  had  told  him.  First  pull  back  the  ham- 
mer, then  place  the  but  of  the  gun  to  the  shoul- 
der, look  along  the  top  and  point  it  to  the 
object  you  wish  it  to  speak  to,  pull  the  trig- 
ger and  it  will  speak.  Sure  enough  the  gun 
did  speak  and  the  old  warrior  fell  dead  to  the 
ground." 

How  many  times  Buffalo  told  me  this  story  I 
do  not  know,  but  it  was  many  times,  and  said 
every  word  of  it  was  true,  as  handed  down  in 
tradition  from  generation  to  generation,  and  as 
he  was  the  only  survivor  of  his  family  race  he 
wished  me  to  remember  it  and  hand  it  down. 
The  story  continues: 

'  'The  tribe  moved  to  the  new  home  which  the 
scouts  had  selected  and,  carrying  with  them  the 
body  of  the  old  warrior,  buried  it  th«re  with 
:;reat  honors,  placing  the  battle  flag  of  the  tribe 
at  the  head  of  his  grave,  there  to  float  until  th6 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY.  89 

weather  should  wear  it  out.  The  battle  flag  of 
the  tribe  was  made  of  feathers  taken  from 
the  wings  and  tail  of  eagles  closely  woven 
together  with  sinews  of  basswood  bark;  then 
taking  a  pole  and  splitting  the  end  with  a  flint, 
put  the  quill  ends  in  the  opening  thus  made  and 
wrap  the  pole  with  sinews  and  bark,  and  as  the 
pole  is  charred  by  fire  in  securing  it  for  the  pur- 
pose, the  flag  and  staff  would  stand  for  many 
generations.  The  different  bands  of  the  same 
tribe  would  designate  themselves  by  attaching 
to  the  flag  the  tail  of  a  wolf,  bear,  marlinor  fox, 
or  a  feather  of  a  crane,  pelican  or  other  large 
bird.  But  in  all  cases  the  body  of  the  flag  was 
made  purely  of  eagle  feathers,  and  these  were 
hard  to  get  in  those  times,  when  snares  and  the  ■ 
bow  and  arrow  were  all  they  had  to  depend 
upon.  The  eagle  flag  being  the  national  one  in 
those  days  it  was  always  planted  in  times  of 
peace  at  the  head  of  the  chief  wigwam." 

This  ends  the  story  of  the  experience  of  Buf- 
falo's great-grandfather  with  the  first  white  man 
he  ever  saw,  but  I  shall  have  occasion  later  to 
refer  to  a  circumstance  which  came  to  my  own 
knowledge  that  very  much  confirms  the  tra- 
dition. 

At  or  before  the  conclusion  of  the  payment 
—which  subject  I  have  twice  left  to  tell  about 
something  else — the  question  of  hereafter  get- 
ting their  annuities  on  the  several  reservations 
instead  of  at  La  Pointe  wa  s  brought  up  and  dis- 
cussed, the  Indians  claiming  it  was  a  hardship 
for  them  to  come  so  far  to  get  them,  and  told 
the  agent  that  they  had  agreed  to  ask  for  the 


90  EAflLY    INDIAN   HISTORY. 

change  and  hoped  their  great  father  at  Wash- 
ington would  grant  their  request.  Col.  Many- 
penny  Bald:  ''My  cliildren:  I  assui..  you  that 
as  long  as  I  am  in  office  it  shall  be  done,  and  I 
will  recommend  to  my  successor  to  do  so  like- 
wise, until  the  treaty  shall  expire,  which  it  will 
do  in  1874,  at  which  time  your  great  father  is  to 
call  all  the  chiefs  together  in  open  council  and 
there  settle  for  and  pay  all  past  dues  and  arrear- 
ages." This  part  of  the  agreement,  however, 
has  never  been  fulfilled  to  my  certain  knowl- 
edge. There  is  now  large  sums  of  money  still 
due  the  Indians  under  the  treaties  of  1837,  1842 
and  1854.  As  I  had  occasion  and  did  look  over 
the  records  in  Washington  in  1862,  I  am  Justi- 
fied in  making  this  statement.  The  Indians 
have  very  often  ?ince  that  time  inquired  of  me 
what  I  had  found,  and  feeling  that  I  ought  not 
to  keep  it  secret  from  them  ])y  reason  of  the  part 
I  took  in  the  treaty  of  1854,  I  always  told  them 
as  near  as  possible  what  I  had  found  the  records 
to  contain.  These  talks  and  inquiries  continue 
to  the  present  time,  and  I  am  asked  why  it  is 
that  the  great  father's  words  are  not  made  true. 
The  older  Indians  have  not  forgotten  what 
President  Lincoln  told  the  delegation  in  1862, 
and  the  younger  ones  know  it  also,  which  was 
to  "return  home  and  tell  your  people  as  soon 
as  the  trouble  with  my  white  children  has  been 
settled  I  will  attend  to  you  and  see  that  every 
dollar  that  is  your  due  is  paid."  I  have  made 
several  attempts  myself  to  bring  this  settlement 
about  but  have  never  been  able  to  do  so. 


CHAPTER  V. 


Early  Settlers. — The  First  Improvements. —7 
The  Battle  of  the  Brule. — Counting  the 
Missing.  ^The  Chippewas  Victorious. — The 
Object  of  the  Scalp  Lock  and  the  Way  it  is 
Made. 

I  would  like  now  to  turn  bajk  to  about  1837 
and  to  mention  those  who  were  among  the  first 
to  make  improvements  on  the  St.  Croix  waters. 
The  first  mill  for  grinding  grain  was  built  on 
Lake  St,  Croix  by  a  man  named  Boles  in  1839  ; 
the  first  settler  at  Stillwater  who  made  any 
improvements  was  Paul  Carley  ;  then  followed 
John  McCusick,  from  Maine,  who  built  the  first 
saw  mill  on  those  waters  in  the  year  1840.  Dur- 
ing the  same  year  and  at  the  same  time  Hun- 
gerford  and  others  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  were 
building  a  saw  mill  at  St.  Croix  Falls.  Also 
the  Marine  Company,  consisting  of  Orange 
Walker,  Samuel  Berklow,  Asa  Parker  and 
Hiram  Berkley  built  the  mill  known  as  the 
Marine  Mill,  commencing  it  in  1841,  and  com- 


\)2  KARLY    rXDIAX    HISTORY. 

pleting  it  in  1842.  Tliit^  mill  ^va?  Hitiiated 
twelve  iiiileB  below  St.  Croix  Falls.  These  were 
the  early  settlers  in  this  part  of  the  country  tip 
to  1843.  Jackson's  trading  post  was  the  first 
improvement  made  on  the  site  where  St.  Paul 
now  stands  and  was  established  some  time  in 
the  thirties,  and  it  was  all  there  was  there  when 
I  came  in  1840.  The  whole  country  from  this 
point  to  Lake  Superior  was  an  unbroken  forest, 
iidiabited  exclusively  by  tlie  Ohippewas,  but 
their  ri^ht  to  the  country  was  strongly  contested 
by  tlie  Dakotas,  (Sioux,)  leading  to  many  bloody 
battles,  one  of  which  I  witnessed  at  Stillwater, 
on  the  west  side  of  the  lake.  Many  were  slain 
on  both  sides,  but  it  resulted  in  a  victory  for 
the  Chippewas.  This,  I  think,  was  in  1841.  I 
also  witnessed  a  battle  on  the  Brule  River  about 
October  1st  of  the  following  year,  a  true  version 
of  which  1  will  give  you  : 

The  Sioux  wt^e  Invaded  by  Old  Crow^  and  the 
Chippewa;-;  ])y  Buffalo,  each  having  a  number  of 
sub-chiefs  to  assist  them.  The  battle  ground 
was  abput  midway  from  the  source  of  Brule 
River  to  its  mouth  and  al)out  fifteen  miles  from 
Lake  Superior.  Bufl:alo's  people  at  this  time 
were  settled  over  quite  an  extensive  terri- 
tory, consisting  of  the  Apostle  Islands  and 
the  whole  country  surrounding  Chequamegon 
(Cha-ga-wa-muk)  bay.  When  Buffalo  received 
the  news  that  they  were  coming  to  give  him 
battle  and  learned  hoAv  nef^r  they  were,  and 
knowing  thp  necessity  for  him  to  start  at  once 
in  order  to  intercept  them  and  choose  his  posi- 
tion for  a  battle,  he  only  had  time  to  gather  a 


a 

O 
'^ 

H 

a 
w 

W 

—1 


E.nJILY   INDIAN   HISTORY.  93 

portion  of  his  warrioi'B.  When  he  started  he 
knew  that  the  force  of  the  enemy  far  oUtnuiu- 
bered  his  own;  that  they  were  coming  with  the 
intention  of  catching  the  Chip  )ewaa  in  discon- 
nected parties  and  thereby  be  aole  to  annihilate 
them  in  detail,  as  the  warlike  portion  of  the 
Chippewas  were  over  near  the  Mississippi  under 
Hole-in-the-day.  Act  quickly  he  must.  He 
collected  about  two  hundred  warriors  and  leav- 
ing his  women  and  children  he  hurried  away 
and  met  the  Sioux  the  first  evening  just  before 
sunset  at  the  Brule,  the  8ioux  on  the  west  side 
and  the  Chippewas  on  the  east,  their  pickets 
eyeing  each  <"  'ler  until  dark,  knowing  that  the 
daylight  \^  juld  find  them  in  mortal  com- 
bat. The  west  bank  of  this  river  running  back 
quite  a  distance  is  level  and  swampy,  while  the 
east  side  slopes  down  from  the  river  and  it  is 
only  about  150  feet  to  an  almost  perpendicular 
rocky  bluff  rising  from  fifty  to  eighty  feet  in 
height,  and  the  slope  from  the  river  back  to  the 
bluff  gave  Buffalo's  men  a  hidden  position  from 
the  Sioux  on  the  west  side.  It  was  not  until 
after  dark  that  Buffalo  made  any  show  of 
strength  in  numbers,  for  he  well  knew  he  was 
overmatched,  but  as  soon  as  it  was  dark  he  had 
fires  built  along  the  river  bank  for  nearly  an 
eighth  of  a  mile,  to  give  the  Sioux  the  impres- 
sion that  his  strength  was  ample  to  cope  with 
them.  These  fires  were  kept  briskly  burning 
all  night.  Just  after  dark  Buffalo  ca:ue  to  me 
in  my  hidden  retreat  in  the  rocks  on  the  bluff 
where  I  had  gone  by  his  direction,  and  laid  his 
plans  before  me,  which  plans  were  to  divide 


94  EARLY   INDIAN    HISTORY. 

his  force  into  tlire«^  parts  and  at  midnight  to 
send  a  third  of  them  up  the  river  a  safe  distance 
and  cross  and  come  down  as  near  the  Sioux  as 
they  aared  without  being  observed,  and  there 
await  the  opening  of  the  fight  in  the  morning, 
which  he  would  begin  with  his  center  men. 
The  other  third  were  to  go  down  the  river  and 
cross  over,  and  like  the  band  up  the  river,  move 
up  to  a  striking  distance  and  then  keep  quiet 
until  the  battle  should  begin.  In  those  days 
fire  arms  were  not  plenty  with  the  Indians  and 
ammunition  scarce  and  they  did  not  like  to 
use  it  in  bf  ttle  but  kept  it  for  hunting,  and  the 
war  club  and  knife  were  the  instruments  of 
death  relied  upon  for  this  fight.  The  center 
portion  of  his  men  were  concealed  near  the 
river  bank  at  a  point  where  the  Sioux  must 
cross,  and  as  the  ground  receded  back  from  the 
river  bank  to  the  bluff  their  position  and  num- 
bers could  not  be  detected  by  the  enemy.  All 
the  maneuvers  of  Buffalo's  men  were  complete 
before  daylight  and  at  early  dawn  the  fight 
was  begun  by  a  few  gun  shots  from  Buffalo's 
center,  which  was  to  be  the  signal  for  his  fiank- 
ing  forces  to  close  in.  As  Goon  as  these  shots 
had  been  fired,  some  of  his  center  men,  by  a 
pre-arrangement,  began  running  toward  the 
bluff  to  show  weakness,  and  the  Sioux,  quick  to 
discover  their  apparent  fear,  dashed  into  the 
river  in  great  numbers,  expecting  to  have  an 
easy  victory  and  be  able  to  take  what  scalps 
there  were  between  the  river  and  the  bluff  with 
the  utmost  «ase  and  dispatch.  The  water  in 
the  Brule  at  the  east  bank  was  about  three  feet 


EARLY    INDIAN   HISTORY.  95 

deep  and  the  bank  two  or  three  feet  abo  v^e  the 
water.  Whether  or  not  the  Sioux  had  taken 
this  fact  into  consideration  I  cannot  say,  but 
that  the  Chippewas  depended  upon  this  condi- 
tion of  things  for  their  victory  was  certain, 
llie  Brule  was  now  filled  with  a  howling,  surg- 
ing mass  of  Sioux  warriors,  each  trying  to  gain 
the  lead  for  the  distinction  he  proposed  to  get 
by  the  addition  of  numerous  scalps  to  his  belt. 
On  they  came,  clubs  and  knives  aloft,  yelling 
like  mad  and  with  a  dozen  or  more  imaginary 
Chippewa  scalps  already  in  their  belt,  began  to 
climb  the  bank.  All  this  time  the  braves  of 
Buffalo  lay  hidden  and  with  hurried  breath 
awaited  the  appearance  of  a  scalp-lock  above 
the  bank.  They  were  now  in  sight  and  if  never 
the  Sioux  before  had  met  a  foe  that  was  worthy 
the  name  they  faced  them  now,  for  of  all  the 
Sioux  that  were  in  the  river  then  not  one  set 
his  foot  on  the  east  bank .  Being  in  the  water 
they  were  compelled  to  scale  the  bank  before 
their  clubs  and  knives  were  of  any  use,  and  the 
Chippewas  brained  them  as  fast  as  they  came  in 
reach.  Of  all  the  thrilling  stories  I  ever  read 
of  slaughter  and  carnage,  I  now  witnessed  a 
greater  one  than  all.  The  river  ran  red 
with  blood  and  the  Sioux  warrior  that  had  not 
reached  the  shore  eagerly  pressed  forward  but 
as  fast  as  they  approached  their  doom  was 
sealed.  The  flanking  forces  of  Buffalo  were 
now  and  had  been,  since  the  signal  gun  was 
fired,  cutting  their  way  into  the  Sionx  right 
and  left  wing,  and  the  war-whoops  of  the 
victorious  Chippewas  could  be  heard  on  their 


96  EARLY  INDIAN  HISTORY. 

right  and  left  and  in  their  rear.  The  case  in 
front  of  them  was  a  hopeless  one  and  they  did 
the  only  thing  that  remained  for  them,  to  get 
away  and  save  as  many  of  their  scalps  as  they 
could  and  let  the  Chippewas  have  the  scalps  of 
their  dead,  which  were  floating  down  or  lying 
at  the  bottom  of  the  Brule. 

I  witnessed  this  masterpiece  of  Indian  war- 
fare from  the  afternoon  previous  to  the  ending 
of  the  fight,  and  from  my  safe  position,  having 
nothing  to  fear  whichever  way  the  battle  went, 
the  impiJeasion  made  upon  my  mind  was  lasting, 
and  is  as  vivid  to-day  as  it  was  upon  that  bright 
October  morning,  nearly  fifty  years  ago,  and  I 
would  go  one  thousand  miles  to  see  it  repeated 
if  another  massacre  was  pending  and  could  not 
be  avoided.  Those  of  the  Sioux  that  got  away 
made  the  best  time  possible  to  reach  their  own 
country  beyond  the  Mississippi  and  were  follow- 
ed by  the  victors  to  their  boundary  line.  Only 
a  few  were  overtaken  who  were  wounded,  and 
they  were  dispatched  and  scalped  as  soon  as 
found. 

After  the  pursuers  had  returned  the  Indians 
were  all  called  together  to  count  up  the  dead 
and  ascertain  the  result  of  the  battle.  This 
was  done  by  counting  the  men  that  were  pres- 
ent, and  all  that  were  missing  were  counted  as 
slain  in  the  battle.  Their  loss  being  thus 
accounted  for,  the  scalps  that  were  taken  from 
the  Sioux  were  counted  and  their  loss  thus 
ascertained.  The  count  in  this  case  was  very 
satisfactory  to  the  Chippewas  as  it  showed  their 
loss  thirteen  and  the  loss  of  the  Sioux  one  hun- 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY.  97 

dred  and  one.  This  mode  of  counting  up  the 
results  of  battle  has  been  their  custom  for  hun- 
dreds of  years,  according  to  their  tradition. 
The  scalping  practice  has  been  in  vogue  by  all 
tribes  of  Indians  as  far  back  as  tradition  goes, 

and  tiie  object  of  scalping  was  for  a  two-fold 
purpose.  First  for  counting  the  results  of  bat- 
tle, and  next  to  show  the  personal  .bravery  of 
individual  warriors,  as  each  brave  kept  his 
scalps  as  a  record  of  his  valor  until  such  time  as 
he  delivered  them  up  to  his  superior  in  tribal 
rank,  in  return  for  which  he  received  eagle 
feathers,  one  for  each  scalp  he  turned  in,  and 
these  he  wore  in  his  cap  or  turban  as  a  mark  of 
distinction. 

Now  I  will  describe  a  scalp-lock,  the  manner 
and  object  of  putting  it  up.  All  Indians  wore 
their  hair  as  long  as  it  would  grow.  They  first 
take  up  three  small  whisps  of  hair  at  the  crown 
of  the  head  and  braid  them,  firmly  tying 
the  braid  about  midway  the  length  of  the  hair, 
after  which  they  then  wrap  this  braid  with 
moosewood,  basswood  or  other  strong  bark  so 
that  the  braid  would  stand  erect  on  the  head 
from  six  to  eight  inches.  Then  the  hair  above 
the  braid  was  allowed  to  fall  over,  giving  the 
lock  a  parasol  appearance.  After  clotli  came  to 
their  knowledge  they  preferred  it  to  bark  for 
winding  the  braid,  and  always  took  red  flannel 
when  they  could  get  it,  because  it  was  more 
showy.  A  genuine  brave  thought  as  much  of 
his  scalp-lock  as  he  did  of  his  war  club  and 
desired  to  make  it  as  conspicuous  as  possible. 


98  EARLY    INDIAN   HISTORY. 

The  bJoalp-lock  was  invariably  put  up  before 
going  upon  the  war  path  if  they  had  time  to  do 
HO,  and  if  any  man  in  the  tribe  refused  to  do 
this  he  was  drummed  out  of  service  and  sent 
home  to  do  camp  duty  with  the  squaws;  his  pipe 
was  taken  from  him  and  his  using  it  prohibited 
and  in  many  cases  they  were  compelled  to  wear 
the  costume  of  a  squaw  as  a  mark  of  cowardice. 
The  amount  of  hair  used  in  a  scalp-lock  would 
be  the  amount  growing  on  a  space  about  the  size 
of  a  silver  half  dollar.  All  bands  on  the  war 
path  and  when  going  into  battle  know  that  the 
enemies'  scalp-lock  is  up  ready  for  them  if  they 
can  get  it  and  t  he  enemy  expects  the  same  thing 
of  them,  and  t)  only  question  is  which  gets  it. 
The  scalping  always  takes  place  as  soon  as  the 
victim  falls  to  the  ground,  if  the  fighting  is 
with  clubs  and  if  with  guns  as  soon  as  they  can 
get  to  the  fallen  man.  They  always  go  into 
battle  with  club  in  one  hand  and  knife  in  the 
other,  and  do  not  wait  till  the  fight  is  over  to 
collect  the  scalps  but  take  them  immediately. 
If  they  should  wait  till  the  fight  had  ended 
some  brave  might  not  get  the  share  that  prop- 
erly belonged  to  him,  and  thus  be  deprived  of 
the  eagle  feather,  and  I  believe  that  the  expres- 
sion in  common  use, 

"That's  a  feather  in  his  cap" 
had  its  origin  from  this  custom.  The  custom 
of  scalping  thus  quickly  accounts  for  the  many 
cases  where  persons  are  living  who  have  been 
scalped,  of  whom  I  know  quite  a  number.  It 
so  happens  that  the  person  was  only  stunned  by 


EARLY    INDIAN    HISTOKY.  99 

tlie  blt)w    from  the    club,   and    consciousness 
returned  after  the  scalp  had  bee:i  taken. 

The  battle  of  the  Brule  was  the  last  great 
battle  fought  between  the  Chippewa s  and  the 
Sioux  in  this  part  of  the  country,  though  there 
were  others  afterward  of  less  importance,  one 
at  the  St.  Croix  River  in  1846,  where  but 
few  were  killed,  though  many  hundred  were 
engaged. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


The  American  Fur  Company. — An  Indian  Law 
— Making  a  Choice  of  a  Wife. — An  Indian 
Maiden's  Way. — Indian  Courtship  and  Ma.r. 
riage. — The  Treachery  of  the  Sioux. — The 
Massacre  of  the  Chippewas  by  the  Sioux. 

Until  1842  about  all  the  white  people  living 
in  this  section  of  the  country  were  Canadian 
voyagers  and  adventurers,  mostly  all  connected 
with  the  American  Fur  Company.  This  com- 
pany consisted  of  John  Jacob  Astor,  Ramsey 
Crooks,  Doctor  Borup  and  David  B.  Oakes. 
The  universal  custom  here  previous  to  1842  was 
that  all  white  men  who  came  among  the  Indians 
to  trade  were  compelled  to  take  Indian  wi^^es. 
This  custom  was  encouraged  by  the  Indians  for 
two  reasons.  Wars  had  depleted  the  male  por 
tion  of  the  tribes,  and  as  the  female  portion 
greatly  predominated,  the  Indians  were  desir- 
ous of  providing  as  many  of  this  surplus  with 


EARLY  INDIAN   HISTORY.  101 

homes  as  they  could.  In  the  second  place  the 
American  Fur  Company  had  almost  complete 
control  of  the  Indian  trade  and  were  not  giving 
them  fair  bargains  in  the  estimation  of  the 
I'^dians,  and  they  were' anxious  to  have  individ- 
ual traders  come  among  them,  and  by  getting 
them  into  a  relationship  by  marriage  they 
thought  they  would  secure  fair  dealing  in  the 
future.  How  well  the  Indians'  ideas  were  con- 
firmed in  the  practice  may  be  judged  by  what 
followed.  The  American  Fur  Co.  lost  their 
hold  upon  the  business  through  this  agency  and 
removed  their  company  in  1847  to  the  Missis- 
sippi River.  As  soon  as  they  were  firmly  estab- 
lished there  they  caused  the  agitation  which 
resulted  in  the  order  for  the  Indians  to  remove 
from  this  country  to  the  Mississippi.  This  order 
did  not  come  until  1849  and  was  countermanded 
by  President  Filmore  in  1852,  on  my  visit 
to  Washington  with  the  Indian  delegation. 

The  plan  which  the  Indians  worked  to  get 
these  white  son-in-laws  was  this  :  When  a  man 
came  among  them  to  establish  himself  in  the 
trading  business  they  would  at  first  have  noth- 
ing to  do  with  him,  except  in  a  very  small  way, 
and  thus  gain  time  to  try  his  honesty  and  to 
make  inquiries  about  his  general  character. 
If  satisfied  on  these  points  the  chiefs  would 
together  take  their  marriagable  girls  to  his  trad- 
ing house  and  he  was  given  his  choice  of  the 
lot.  They  would  sometimes  take  as  many  as  a 
dozen  girls  at  one  time  for  the  trader  to  choose 
from.  If  the  choice  was  made  the  balance  oi 
the  group  returned  and  no  hard  fetilngs  were 


102  EAP.LY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 

ever  engendered  by  the  choice.  If  the  trader 
refused  or  neglected  to  make  a  choice  the  first 
visit  they  would  return  again  in  the  same  man- 
ner a  few  days  later,  then  if  no  choiee  was  made 
they  would  come  only  once  more.  In  the  mean- 
time they  would  not  trade  with  him  a  single 
cent's  worth,  nor  would  they  ever  trade  with 
him  unless  he  took  one  of  their  women  for  his 
wife.  If  he  had  three  times  failed  to  choose 
his  wife,  and  afterward  repented  because  he  had 
no  tiade,  he  became  a  suitor  and  often  had  much 
difficulty  in  securing  one. 

One  time  when  girls  were  brought  to  a  trader 
to  select  a  wife  from,  I  saw  a  trait  in  human 
nature  whereby  a  person,  by  a  certain  boldness 
or  assurance  in  their  disposition  can  gain  advan- 
tages over  others  without  creating  any  enmity 
on  che  part  of  those  over  whom  the  advantage 
is  gained,  nicely  exemplified.  The  chiefs  had 
assembled  with  a  dozen  eligible  maidens  before 
the  trading-house,  but  before  the  trader  had 
made  any  sign  or  shown  any  disposition  to  make 
a  choice,  one  of  the  girls  darted  into  the  cabin 
and  began  arranging  the  furniture,  sweeping 
out  the  place  and  making  herself  perfectly  at 
home.  The  balance  of  the  party  looked  on  with 
astonishment,  and  still  their  wonder  was  mingled 
with  a  sort  of  admiration  for  the  bravery  and 
assurance  the  girl  had  displayed.  The  chiefs 
and  other  maidens  returned  to  their  homes 
*  without  a  word  and  waited  to  see  what  turn  the 
affair  would  take.  The  trader  at  first  seemed 
bewildered.  The  audacity  of  the  girl  as  he  at 
first  thought,  was  inexcusable.     Still  he  could 


P:ARLY   INDIAN   HISTOPV.      •  1U3 

not  help  but  juliiiire  tlie  umnner  in  which  she 
had  eii!r<talled  her^jelf  as  mistress  of  his  liouse- 
hold  and  the  nioiH3  he  thought  th»'.  matter  over 
the  more  he  admired  lier  style.     Tlie  match  was 
consumated  and  ti'e  brave  littk'  woman  ruled 
tlie  roost.     In  Indian  marriages  the  proceedings 
difl'er  from    those    of    any    other    nationality. 
A  young  man  ])elieving  that  he  (-an  maintain  a 
family  will  pick  out,  usually  from  an  adjoining 
band,  a  maiden  that  suits  his  fancy.     He  speaks 
no  Avord  to  the  maiden  but  hies  himself  to  the 
forest  to  capture  and  kill  an  animal  whicli  is 
recognized  as  the  emblem  of  lovc:     This  differs 
from  time  to  time  and  in  different  places  and 
depends  largely  upon  the  kind  of  game  most 
numerous   in  the  locality,    but  it  is  generally 
a  moose,  d  deer,  a  bear,  or  a  cariboo.      Having 
secured  one  he  proceeds  Avitli  it  to  the  wigwam 
of  his  girl.      Leaving  it  outside,  he  enters  the 
wigwam,  saying  notliing,  but  lights  his  pipe  and 
makes  himself  at  home.     Should  there  be  more 
than  one  girl  in  the  lodge  at  the  time,  he  has  a 
sign  by  which  his  choice  is  made  known.   If  the 
girl  does  not  like  his  appearance  she   remains 
where  she  is,  but  if  he  is  agreeable  to  her  fancy 
she  takes  a  knife  and  proceeds  to  skin  the  ani- 
mal and  take  chargt?  of  the  meat,  after  which 
the  suitor  takes  his  leave.     The  parents  of  the 
girl,  being  advised  of  what  is  going  on  by   the 
presence  of  meat  not  of  their  killing,  commence 
systematic  proceedings  to  ascertain  the  young 
man's  habits,  his  ability  an  a  hunter,  warrior, 
etc.,  and  if  satisfied  with  them  they  proceed  to 
the  young  man's  parents,  wiio  are  now  for  the 


104  EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY.   * 

first  time  made  aware  of  the  youth's  aspirations 
and  they  in  turn  make  inquiry  as  to  the  char- 
acter, etc. ,  of  their  prospective  daughter-in-law. 
If  all  is  satisfactory  the  young  man  is  given 
permission  by  the  girl's  parents  to  visit  her,  but 
all  he  or  she  has  to  say  must  be  said  in  the  com- 
mon wigwam  and  before  all  who  happen  to  be 
present.  If  they  become  satisfied  with  each 
other  and  he  has  been  able  to  convince  her  par- 
ents that  he  is  an  expert  at  hunting  and  fishing 
and  is  considered  a  good  warrior,  and  able  to 
comfortably  support  a  home,  the  chiefs  of  the 
two  bands  are  notified  and  a  wedding  is 
arranged,  with  the  two  chiefs  as  head  men,  and 
it  is  always  the  most  elaborate  of  any  doings  of 
the  tribe. 

Before  concluding  this  chapter  I  wish  to  relate 
a  piece  of  treachery  on  the  part  of  the  Sioux 
Indians  toward  their  Chippewa  brothers  which 
well  shows  the  deceptive  character  of  the  Sioux. 
I  think  it  was  in  1844  that  the  Sioux  sent  mes- 
sengers to  the  Chippewas  inviting  them  to  a 
peace  council,  to  be  held  in  the  Sioux  country, 
west  of  the  Mississippi.  As  was  the  custom 
they  brought  tobacco  to  present  to  the  party, 
who  were  to  smoke  with  them  in  case  the  invi- 
tation was  accepted,  but  in  case  the  proposition 
to  consider  is  not  entertained  the  tobacco  is  not 
received.  In  this  case  they  accepted  the  tobacco 
and  smoked  with  their  visitors.  The  messen- 
gers stated  their  proposition  to  the  Chippewas 
by  saying:  "All  the  trouble  between  us  in  the 
past  has  grown  out  of  a  difference  of  opinion  as 
to  our  respective  territory,  and  now,  as  we  can 


KAHLY    INDIAN    HISTORY.  105 

see  the  white  people  will  soon  be  the  owuern 
of  all  th(^  country  and  we  will  have  nothing  to 
fight  over,  therefore  let  us  meet  as  brothers  and 
friends  and  smoke  the  pipe  of  peace,  and  bury 
the  war  hatc;het  and  scalping  knife  forever. 
Our  chiefs  request  you  to  meet  our  people  just 
west  of  Sauk  Rapids,  near  the  Mississippi  river. 
As  your  country  is  better  to  hunt  in  during  the 
winter  on  account  of  your  forests,  and  ours  bet- 
ter in  the  summer  on  account  of  our  prairies,  we 
will  try  and  agree  that  we  may  hunt  here  in 
winter  and  you  hunt  there  in  the  summer,  and 
we  are  instructed  to  say  to  you  that  we  will 
allow  you  one  moon  to  consider  the  matter  and 
at  tlie  expiration  of  that  time  or  before  you  can 
send  a  messenger  to  us  with  your  decision. " 

This  arrangement  was  agreed  to.  The  Chip- 
pewas  held  councils  from  time  to  time  and 
finally  agreed  that  they  would  meet  the  Sioux 
as  proposed.  A  messenger  was  sent  to  notify 
them  of  the  decisi(m.  The  Chippewa  messenger 
was  told  upon  arrival  there  that  they  would  be 
ready  to  meet  them  after  ten  days,  and  that  the 
first  hunt  would  be  in  the  Sioux  country  for 
Buffalo.  In  accordance  with  this  arrangement, 
to  hunt  first  in  the  Sioux  territory,  the  delega- 
tion to  the  peace  council  was  made  up  of  from 
fif  cy  to  sixty  of  the  choicest  hunters  and  braves 
among  the  Chippewas,  and  with  two  or  three 
chiefs  they  met  the  Sioux  at  the  appointed  time 
and  were  received  with  every  mark  of  attention 
and  the  utmost  cordiality.  All  joined  in  a 
feast  and  dance  that  lasted  two  nights  and  a 
day,  when  it  was  proposed  that  the  Chippewas 


106  EARLY   INDIAN  HISTORY. 

return  to  their  country  and  get  more  hunters 
witli  the  understanding  that  they  were  to  be 
back  in  five  dayn,  wlien  the  nuirch  to  the  hunt- 
ing grounds  would  be  connnenced.  As  a  mark 
of  friendship  and  good  faith  toward  each  other 
exchanges  were  made  of  clothing,  pipes,  locks 
of  liair  and  other  things,  cementing  the  good 
faitli  of  the  truce  that  had  been  concluded  and 
the  next  morning  the  Chippewas  started  for 
home,  highly  pleased  with  the  settlement  of  all 
former  troul)les  and  hapi)y  in  the  belief  that 
thereafter  nothing  but  peace  and  good  will 
would  enter  the  two  tribes.  But  alas  for  the 
confiding  Chippewas.  The  battle  of  two  years 
before  at  the  Brule  had  not  been  forgotten  by 
the  Sioux,  and  never  having  been  able  to  best 
the  Chippewas  in  an  open  fight,  they  had  drawn 
them  into  a  trap  to  get  a  revenge  that  they 
could  not  otherwise  obtain,  for  the  Chippewas 
had  only  proceeded  about  four  miles  when  they 
were  surprised  by  a  large  body  of  Sioux  in 
ambush,  and  volley  after  volley  of  rifle  shots 
poured  into  them.  Before  they  could  recover 
themselves  for  resistance  the  major  portion  of 
them  lay  dead  upon  the  trail.  The  few  who 
escaped  returned  to  their  homes  but  the  fire  of 
hatred  kindled  in  the  hearts  of  the  Chippewas 
by  that  act  of  treachery  on  the  part  of  Sioux 
will  never  be  quenched,  and  it  wotild  be  quite 
as  easy  to  mix  oil  and  water  as  to  patch  up  any 
kind  of  truce  between  them.  This  was  the  first 
and  only  time  the  Sioux  ever  got  the  best  of  the 
Chippewas  in  combat.  The  Sioux  call  it  revenge 
but  the  Chippewas  cannot  see  it  in  that  light. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


The  Indian  in  the  Old  Days.  —  How  They 
Managed  to  Build  Boats,  Make  Pails,  Pots, 
Kettles  and  Pans. — Birch  Bark  and  •Its 
Uses. — The  Flint  Rock.  — How  They  Obtained 
and  Worked  it  into  Knives,  Axes  and  Arlow 
Heads. — The  Building  of  a  Wigwam. — The 
Queen  OF  PocAGEMAH.  -.. 

Now  I  wish  to  give  the  Indian  manner  of  liv- 
ing before  the  white  race  was  known  to  them, 
and  how  they  managed  before  they  ever  saw  an 
axe,  a  knife,  gun,  a  pail,  or  a  kettle,  etc.  The 
greatest  hardship  they  had  was  in  getting 
along  without  an  instrument  for  cutting. 
This  was  especially  hard  in  preparing  firewood 
as  they  were  obliged  to  pick  up  and  break  small 
limbs  of  fallen  trees,  and  gather  old  bark,  &c. , 
for  their  fires,  which  compelled  them  after  quite 
a  stay  in  one  place  to  go  a  long  way  for  it,  but 
for  most  other  things  they  provided  *  themselves 
■with  substitutes  that  did  very  well.  I  have 
seen  bows  that  with  only  the  strength  of  an 


108  .         EARLY   INDIAN   HI^TOEY. 

average  man  put  to  them  would  throw  an  arrow 

through  au  inch  pine  board.     It  must  have  been 

a  tedious  task  to  make  them   without  axe  or 

knife,  but  it  was  accomplished  by  the  use  of 

wedge,  flint  and  fire.     Then  they   took  certain 

))ones  from  aniuials,  especially  tlie  homes  of 
buffalo,  and  by  heating  them  thuy  could  peel 
them  in  layers.  These  strips  they  fastened  to 
the  back  of  the  bow  with  a  glue  which  they 
made  from  the  heads  of  sturgeon,  and  to  assist 
the  glue  they  wrapped  the  bow  with  tendons 
from  the  loins  of  animals.  The  article  they 
used  for  ('utting  was  a  flint,  and  from  this  they 
als(^made  their  arrow  heads.  Where  this  par- 
ticular kind  of  flint  was  procured  I  have  never 
been  able  to  find  out,  but  I  judge  from  the 
length  of  time  it  took  a  party  to  get  it,  as  told 
in  tradition,  and  from  the  descriptions  of  the 
lakes  and  rivers  they  saw,  and  the  distance  they 
were  said  to  have  gone,  that  it  is  somewhere  in 
Ohio.  They  describe  the  Hint  beds  as  being  on 
a  mountain  side  and  as  being  fron^  one  to  four 
feet  under  the  surface  of  the  grou^i,  and  with 
only  their  hands  and  sticks  to  remove  the  earth, 
the  task  of  getting  to  it  n)ust  have  been  difficult. 
After  this  was  pxcomplished  the  next  thing  was 
to  biiild  a  ffre  upon  the  rock.  The  fire  tliey 
started  by  friction,  always  carrying  with  them 
a  thoroughly  dried  black-ash  stick  with  a  groove 
worked  into  one  side  of  it  and  a  dry  piece  of 
white  cedar,  to  match  the  groove.  When  they 
wanted  to  start  a  fire  they  would  lay  a  piece  of 
dry  rotten  wood  or  punk  on  top  of  the  black-asli 


EARLY    INDIAN   HISTORY.  109 

stick,  holding  it  there  with  one  hand,  and 
with  the  other  would  rub  tlie  cedar  &tick  in  the 
groove  of  the  asli  blo(;k  with  all  the  rapidity 
they  were  capable  until  it  created  yparks,  which 
would  ignite  the  punk  and  from  thi^  a  fire  was 
soon  kindled.  After  the  fire  had  been  built 
upon  the  rocks  and  it  had  been  heated  to  a 
proper  heat,  the  fire  was  cleared  away  and  water 
thrown  on  the  rock  which  cracked  it  into  all 
sizes  and  shapes.  This  process  they  repeated 
until  they  liad  the  desired  amount  they  wished 
to  carry  home.  From  these  pieces  they  would 
select  the  ones  nearest  to  a  cutting  edge,  and, 
taking  another  piece  of  flint  or  hard  rock,  they 
would  chip  off  little  by  little,  eventually  getting 
down  nearly  to  an  edge,  and  then  with  sand 
and  water  and  a  flint  stone  they  would  rub  the 
rough  surface  until  they  got  as  good  an  edge  as 
possible.  Some  of  these  they  use  in  skinning 
animals,  and  the  larger  ones  they  make  into 
tools  for  heavier  Avork  such  as  cutting  ])ark, 
small  sticks  ancl  poles  for  different  uses.  Upon 
the  larger  ones  they  fasten  a  handle,  which  was 
done  by  working  a  grpove  on  each  side  of  the 
flint,  and  spl'ting  a  hard  piece  of  wood,  ash  or 
hickory,  they  would  insert  the  flint  between  the 
prongs  made  by  the  split  and  bind  them  close  to 
the  flint  on  both  sides.  This  is  both  knife  and 
cleaver,  and  when  one  is  obtained  it  is  carefully 
preserved,  and  when  in  use  much  rtaution  is 
used  lest  it  should  be  broken.  Their  arrow 
heads  are  also  made  of  this  material,  and  their 
every  spare  moment  was  utilized  in  their  manu- 


110  EAKLY    I-  DIAN    HISTORY. 

facture,  that  a  supply  iiiiglit  be  in  readiness  in 
a  time  of  need. 

Are  you  wondering  in  what  tliey  carried  the 
water  to  throw  upon  the  heated  flint  ?  They 
carried  it  in  pails  made  of  birch  bark  taken 
from  the  white  birch  tree.  Pots  and  kettles 
were  also  made  from  this  bark.  Canoes  are 
made  from  this  same  bark,  which  they  obtain 
by  climbing  the  tree  or  sometimes  by  building 
a  rude  staging  of  sticks  and  logs.  They  cut  the 
bark  arounk  the  whole  tree  at  a  height  srfiicient 
for  the  length  of  the  boat.  Then  again  around 
at  the  bottom.  They  then  cut  the  bark  length- 
wise the  tree.  It  is  then  worked  loose  from  the 
tree,  and  at  the  proper  time  of  year  it  peels  o^ 
easily,  and  if  properly  managed,  can  be  taken 
off  in  one  unbroken  sheet,  and  as  the  bark  of 
the  birch  is  very  tough,  the  danger  of  spoiling 
the  sheet  is  very  slight.  AVhen  this  bark  is 
fresh  from  the  tree  and  exposed  to  the  rays  of 
the  sun,  it  will  warp  and  nearly  close  itself  with 
the  outer  side  in.  The  bark  is  straightened  out 
upon  a  smooth  surface  of  ground^  the  inner  sur- 
face downward,  as  this  side  is  wanted  for  the 
water  side  of  the  boat.  TJiree  poles  are  now  put 
in  lengthwise  along  the  middle  of  the  slieet, 
upon  which  are  placed  three  stones,  the  larger 
one  in  the  middle  and  the  smaller  at  either  end, 
then  the  bark  is  turned  up  and  sewed 
together  at  each  end  with  black  spruce  roots 
which  are  very  tough  and  pliable,  and  are  often 
procured  from  twenty  to  forty  feet  long,  in 
diameter  being  from  one-sixteenth  to  one-eighth 
of  an  inch.     The  needle  used  is  a  splint  found 


EARLY    INDIAN   HISTORY. 

in  a  deer's  fore-leg,  near  the  hoof,  and  attached 
to  the  lower  end  to  the  due-claw  joint.  Cedar 
poles  are  put  along  the  edges  of  the  bark  inside 
and  out,  and  firmly  sewed  in  place.  From  the 
pole  in  the  bottom  to  the  pole  inside  at  the  top 
they  spring  split  cedar  about  one-eighth  of  an 
inch  thick,  the  whole  length  of  the  boat,  making  a 
solid  lining  inside  the  bark.  Then  they  put 
in  throts,  or  braces,  across  from  rail  to  rail, 
probably  three  or  four  in  its  length,  which 
give?  it  staoility  as  well  as  shape.  Sticks  are 
then  fitted  in  at  the  ends  and  sewed  in  place, 
and  if  any  rents  are  made  in  the  bark  in  build- 
ing, they  are  sewed  up  and  pitch  from  the 
black  spruce  tree  is  then  melted  into  and  around 
all  seams  and  rents,  by  holding  a  fire  brand  to 
the  crude  pitch  which  is  daubed  on  a  stick  for 
the  purpose.  The  boat  is  tlien  complete  as  it 
was  made  in  primitive  days,  but  since  tools  have 
been  in  use  the  bark  is  cut  and  rounded  at  the 
ends  and  better  symetry  is  observed,  and  they 
are  made  much  nicer  in  every  way  and  more 
d^irable,  but  the  matenal  used  in  their  construc- 
tion is  substantially  the  same. 

The  pails  the  Indians  used  for  carrying  water 
and  sap  were  made  water  tight  by  spruce  pitch, 
the  same  as  the  canoes,  as  were  the  pots  they 
made  for  cooking  meat  and  making  sugar.  A 
kettle  made  of  birch  bark  will  not  burn 
as  long  as  it  is  filled  with  water  and  not  until 
it  is  nearly  empty.  In  boiling  sap  for  sugar  me 
Indians  always  boil  a  pail  of  sap  until  it  is 
reduced  to  about  one-third  the  quantity  first 
put  over  the  fire.     They  then  keep  adding  and 


112  EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 

boiling  until  the  kettle  is  full  of  syrup;  they 
then  turned  this  Fyrup  into  another  vessel,  con- 
tinuing this  until  they  had  enough  for  a  sugar- 
ing. A  different  vessel  was  then  used,  but  of 
the  same  material  and  was  made  tray  shape.  It 
hung  suspended  over  the  fire  by  cords  of  bass- 
wood  bark  at  each  of  the  four  corners,  and 
when  the  boiling  commenced  the  stirring  was 
constant  to  prevent  scorching  until  the  signs  of 
graning  appeared.  It  was  then  removed  from 
the  fire  to  a  bowl  made  of  rock  and  there  stirred 
and  cooled  uritil  the  graning  of  the  sugar  was 
complete.  The  rock  bowls  are  made  as  follows: 
Securing  a  sand  stone  as  near  flat  as  possible 
and  from  twenty  to  thirty  inches  square,  the 
hollowing  process  is  begun  by  taking  a  stone  or 
boulder  harder  than  the  bowl  stone,  and  as 
pointed  as  they  could  find.  They  would  com- 
mence and  continue  the  picking  process  until 
the  center  of  the  stone  had  been  crumbled  away 
to  a  proper  depth  and  circumference,  then  it 
was  rubbed  with  a  stone  with  sand  and  water 
until  the  inner  surface  was  perfectly  smooth 
and  polished.  It  was  a  long  and  tedious  under- 
taking, but  when  one  was  completed  it  was 
highly  pi-ized,  and  they  were  heirlooms  for  many 
generations. 

Birch  bark  is  also  used  in  building  wigwams, 
and  being  wind  and  water  proof,  it  makes  tlK^r 
lodges  warm  and  comfortable.  Building  a 
wigwam  is  begun  by  setting  poles  into  the  ground 
in  a  circle  and  cone  shape,  leaving  an  opening  at 
the  top  of  from  six  imdies  to  two  feet,  sccording 
to  the  circumference  of  the  structure  at  the  bot- 


EARLY    INDIAN    HISTORY.  113 

torn.  The  poles  are  woven  together  with  strings 
of  basswood  bark,  thns  completing  the  frame,  a 
doorway  being  made  by  leaving  out  poles  upon 
the  side  wliere  they  wish  tlie  (•ntranceand  when 
the  lodge  is  completed  the  skin  of  an  animal  is 
luing  over  to  keep  out  llie  cold.  In  this  country 
the  skin  of  the  cari})0()  was  most  generally  usc(l. 
They  then  take  lurch  bark  and  after  tearing 
into  strii)s  th(!  width  they  desire  for  making  a 
tight  oovei'ing  for  this  cone-shaped  frame,  they 
sew  the  c^nds  of  tlie  bark  together  until  the 
length  is  sufliiicnt  to  go  around  tlie  bottom  of 
the  structure,  then  another  strip  is  made  to  go 
above  the  first  one  and  is  sewed  to  it,  and  so  on 
until  the  top  is  reached,  which  is  left  open  for 
smoke  to  escape.  Bircli  bark  cannot  l)e  torn 
lengthwise  of  the  tree  but  crosswise  it  tears 
almost  as  straight  as  clotl^.  This  bark  is  of  a 
very  peculiar  nature  and  fitted  for  a  great  many 
uses.  The  Indians  used  it  as  a  torch  when  fish- 
ing at  night.  It  was  used  to  light  the  wigwam 
when  needed  and  burns  brightly  and  equal  to 
an  oil  and  waistt;  torch  and  is  almost  proof  against 
decay.  I  have  found  birch  trees  which  had  been 
buried  a  long  time,  some  two  and  four  feet  under 
tlie  surface,  that  had  been  covered  by  changing 
sands  and  ('hannels,  which  were  sodectayed  that 
when  the  trunk  was  moved  all  inside  the  bark 
w^ould  run  out  like  nuish,  but  the  bark  would 
be  in  a  perfect  state  of  preservation  and  it  seems 
to  me  to  liave  been  a  provision  of  the  Almighty 
for  the  Indians'  good,  for  without  it  I  cannot  see 
how  they  could  have  managed  to  get  along. 
Dogs    were    th'i    only    domesticated    animal 


114  EARLY    INDIAN    HIriTORY. 

known  to  the  Indians  until  the  white  people  had 
nettled  among  them,  and  they  were  never  known 
to  have  any  other  pet  or  tame  any  animal  of  any 
kind.  The  Esquimaux  dogs  tliey  had  when  I 
first  came  among  them  and  which,  according  to 
their  tradition,  they  had  never  been  without, 
were  different  from  the  dogs  of  today,  that  are 
so  called-  they  were  large  and  tJieir  make  up  was 
almost  that  of  a  lion,  only  smaller.  Their  heads 
were  large  and  their  body  tapering  from  their 
shoulders  back,  their  hinder  parts  being  much 
lower  than  their  shoulders.  The  neck  was  cov- 
ered with  long  hair  and  they  had  a  mane  or 
long  bristly  hair  running  from  the  neck  along 
the  back  to  the  roots  of  the  tail,  the  tail  being 
bushy  only  at  the  end.  They  were  very  savage 
animals  and  were  kept  for  their  watchfulness, 
although  they  were  very  submissive  and  kind 
to  their  masters.  The  other  dogs,  of  which  they 
had  great  numbers,  were  of  all  sizes,  breeds, 
shape  and  colors,  from  a  little  cur  to  a  dog  that  • 
would  weigh  from  fifty  to  sixty  pounds,  and  all 
were  of  a  snappish  disposition.  These  they  used 
for  hunting  different  animals  and  more  espec- 
ially those  specie  that  burrowed  in  trees  or  in 
the  ground.  The  smaller  ones  were  best  for 
treeing  bear,  for  they  were  quicker  than  a  bear 
and  their  constant  worrying  would  soon  cause 
bruinoto  take  to  a  tree,  where  they  would  keep 
him  at  bay  until  the  hunter  arrived.  The  larger 
dogs  they  used  for  sledging.  These  dogs  were 
also  quick  to  give  warning  of  the  approach  of 
strangers. 
There  is  still  another  tool  the  Indians  used 


EARLY    INDIAN   HISTORY. 


115 


before  the  advent  of  white  men.  It  was  used 
for  knocking  off  bark  for  firewood,  driving 
stakes  and  at  any  work  where  ponnding  was 
necessary.  They  would  find  a  stone  of  wedge 
or  axe  shape  and  work  a  groove  around  it  and  tie 
a  handle  to  one  side  of  the  stone  with  groove 
worked  insufficiently  deep  to  protect  the  string. 
This  served  quite  a  purpose.  This,  with  the 
awl  which  they  used  for  sewing  taken  from  the 
fore  leg  of  a  deer  or  elk,  and  a  pointed  horn  that 
they  sharpened  by  the  use  of  stone  and  sand 
made  up  the  list  of  tools  used  by  the  ancient 
Indians. 

I  forgot  to  mention  that  the  poles  and  sticks 
they  used  in  canoe  building  w^ere  brought  to  a 
proper  length  by  the  use  of  fire  and  the  line 
used  for  measuring  was  the  black  spruce  root. 

In  the  winter  of  1846  I  was  trading  at  a  place 
between  Snake  River  and  Pocagemah  Lake,  in 
Minnesota,  and  on  the  bank  of  Snake  River, 
near  its  entry  into  (^ross  Lake,  I  built  my  trad- 
ing house. 

The  name  of  this  lake  was  derived  from  the 
name  the  Indians  gave  it,  which  was  Pem-ma- 
che-go-ming,  and  means  to  cross  or  go  through. 
In  the  Potawatomie  language  the  word  would 
be  Kosh-ko-ming,  a  name  they  gave  to  a  lake 
through  which  Rock  River  runs  in  Jefferson 
County,  Wisconsin. 

After  the  treaty  of  1837  lumbermen  were  in 
the  habit  of  cutting  choice  pine  timber  where- 
ever  it  w^as  handy  to  get  a  market,  without 
owning  the  land  or  getting  permission  to  cut 
the  timber.     In  other  words  they  wj^re  stealing 


•  1(5  EARLY   IJVDIAN   HISTORY. 

it  from  the  government.  Snake  River  was  the 
outlet  for  much  of  this  timber,  or  so  much  of  it 
aa  was  cut  as  far  up  as  Knife  Lake,  on  Kuife 
River,  Rice  and  Tamarack  Rivers,  and  Colonel 
Sims,  of  New  Orleans,  Louisiana,  was  the  man 
whom  the  government  sent  to  look  after  the 
trespassing.  He  had  been  in  the  Mexican  war 
and  had  lost  one  arm.  He  arrived  at  my  trad- 
ing post  in  the  spring  of  1847.  After  informing 
me  of  his  mission  he  asked  to  make  his  home 
with  me  for  arw^ile,  as  it  was  central  in  the 
country  in  which  he  wished  to  make  his  inves- 
tigations and  would  also  like  to  have  my  assis- 
tance in  locating  points  where  the  trespassing 
was  being  done.  I  took  the  colonel  in  and  made 
him  as  comfortable  as  circumstances  would  per- 
mit. I  found  him  a  pleasant  companion.  He 
would  relate  his  adventures  in  Mexico,  in  turn 
for  which  I  would  recite  matters  aboi^^  this 
country  that  were  interesting  to  him.  As  he 
was  an  army  officer  I  told  him  of  the  Indian 
soldiers,  how  they  had  their  war  dances,  drills 
and  parades,  as  well  as  white  soldiers.  This 
interested  him  very  much  and  he  was  quite 
anxious  to  witness  one  of  them  where  he  could 
see  a  genuine  medicine  dance  and  feast  and  lis- 
ten to  the  speeches  of  the  braves,  telling  of  their 
miraculous  adventures  and  many  hair-breath 
escapes. 

At  this  time  there  lived  a  missionary  near 
Pocagemah  Lake,  by  the  name  of  Boutwell, 
which  lake  was  about  four  miles  from  my  place 
by  trail  Boutwell's  wife  was  a  half-caste  Chip- 
pewa, and  a  daughter  of  a  member  of  the  Araeri 


KAULV    INDIAN    HISTOKV.  117 

can  Fur  Co.  She  liad  been  cast  and  was  edu- 
cated and  spoke  both  hmguages  quite  fluently. 
There  also  lived  on  the  bank  of  this  lake  an 
Indian  chieftain  by  the  name  of  Bic-a-jek,  who 
had  a  band  numbering  alx)ut  150  souls.  His 
own  family  consisted  of  a  wife,  one  son  and  a 
daughter.  This  daughter  had  lived  close  to  the 
mission  some  time  and  became  quite  a  favorite 
of  Mrs.  Bout  well  on  account  of  her  naturally 
good  manners  and  her  Indian  beauty.  Slie  had, 
with  the  assistance  of  Mrs.  Bout  well,  taKen  up 
the  white  women's  mode  of  dress  and  was  as 
neat  and  tasty  as  could  be.  She  was  the  idol 
of  the  old  chief  and  her  brother,  and  for  my 
part  I  must  say  she  was  the  pr..tiest  Indian 
maiden  I  ever  met.  Slie  was  pretty  in  feature, 
and  in  manners  she  was  feminine  to  a  degree 
not  often  overmatched  by  her  white  sisters. 
Mrs.  Boutw^ell  often  told  her  she  was  pronounced 
handsome  and  that  she  nnist  set  her  cap  for  a 
wdiite  husband.  These  teachings  had  their 
effect  and  caused  her  to  appear  at  her  best  on 
all  occasions,  and  especially  when  white  people 
were  present,  consequently  she  became  faultless 
in  her  attire. 

The  colonel  was  telling  me  one  day  of  the 
beautiful  creole  women  in  New  Orleans,  and  I 
told  him  there  was  an  Indian  beauty  in  the 
neighborhood,  who,  in  feature  and  form,  could 
not  be  beaten  in  the  whole  south.  Just  then  it 
happened  that  the  chief  and  his  wife  and 
daughter  were  in  sight  coming  to  my  place 
to  trade.  I  told  the  colonel  that  they  were 
coming  and  he  rushed  for  his  uniform,  which  he 


118  EARLY    INDIAN   HISTORY. 

always  did  when  parties  eaiiie,  to  whom  he 
wished  to  sliow  his  rank.  Wlien  the  chief  and 
party  arrived  at  the  post  he  was  at  his  best  in 
military  attire  and  awaited  an  introdnction, 
wlii(;h  I  interpreted  between  them.  The  chief 
said  he  was  ghid  to  meet  a  wliite  olHcer  as  he 
was  an  oiUcer  amonpr  soUliers  liimself.  The 
colonel  related  his  late  CiXperieiice  in  war,  the 
hard  times  he  had  seen,  and  how  he  liad  lost 
an  arm  in  tlie  ])arjAain,  to  which  the  old  chief 
replie^l:  ''He  who  strikes  mnst  expect  to  get 
struck,"  wliicli  was  eqnivalent  to  saying,  in  the 
Indian  nnderstandiiig,  "That's  all  right,  don't 
grumble."  The  colonel,  turning  to  me  said: 
''Your  description  of  tlie  daughter  is  correct. 
She  is  as  pretty  as  a  pink."  He  told  me  to  cut 
her  oil'  a  couple  of  cali(*o  dresses  and  to  give  the 
chief  some  tobacco  also  on  his  account,  and 
urged  me  to  arrange  with  the  cJiief  to  have  us 
present  at  their  next  wai  or  medicine  dance,  and 
to  tell  the  old  chief  that  lie  should  be  much 
pleased  to  see  it,  and  perhaps  he  could  give 
th.^m  some  pointers  in  military  matters  that 
they  would  like  to  I'^ow.  I  interpreted  the  re- 
quest to  the  chiet  .vlio  said  he  was  not  then 
prepared  for  such  an  entertainment,  but  would 
have  one  as  soon  as  the  necessary  arrangements 
could  be  made.  I  knew  wdiat  that  meant,  for 
they  never  have  one  of  these  dances  until  they 
have  a  surplus  of  meats  ahead  to  last  from  two 
to  six  days,  so  they  can  be  spared  from  the 
chase,  and  these  councils  always  last  while  the 
stock  of  meat  holds  out. 

It  was  only  a  few  days  after  that  I  heard  that 
the  hunters  had  been  very  successful,  having 


EARLY    INDIAN   HISTORY.  111^ 

killed  a  couple  of  bear  and  several  deer,  and 
knew  the  ('ouncil  would  soon  be  called.  The 
colonel  was  in  high  glee.  The  next  morning, 
and  but  a  little  after  sunrise,  1  saw  two  Indians 
hurrying  up  the  river  in  a  canoe,  and  guessed 
they  were  messengers  to  invite  us  to  the  feast. 
I  told  the  colonel  of  their  coming  and  he  was 
soon  inside  his  uniform,  and  with  the  eagles 
upon  his  shoulders,  he  lookt^l  tlie  veteran  tliat 
he  revally  was.  Along  came  the  l)raves,  and  tak- 
ing positions  on  eitlier  side  of  the  doorway,  said 
the  chief  had  sent  them  to  invite  us  to  a  drill 
and  feast,  and  pointing  to  the  sky  where  the 
sun  would  be  at  about  ten  o'clock,  said  that  was 
the  time  for  us  to  be  there.  One  of  them  told 
me  that  the  chiers  daughter  had  told  them  to 
bring  some  salt  and  pepper  for  tlie  meats  of 
visitors,  which  I  gave  tlunn  with  a  plug  of  to- 
bacco to  be  smoked  Jit  the  dance,  and  they  hur- 
ried away.  The  colonel  was  delighted,  and 
said  he  could  tell  by  the  warlike  looks  of  the 
chief  and  the  beauty  of  the  daughter  that  we 
would  have  a  good  time. 

When  we  arrived  at  the  Indian  camp  we  were 
met  at  the  shore  by  about  twenty  braves  in  war 
paint,  clubs  and  knives  in  hand  and  scalp-locks 
up,  all  ready  to  conunence  their  drills  and  ex- 
ercises. The  war-whoop  was  given  and  a  circle 
formed  with  the  chief  and  drummer-boy  inside, 
the  chief  acting  the  part  of  drum  major  and 
drill  master.  The  dancing  began;  'round 
and  'round  went  the  circle,  the  chief  going 
through  the  manuel  of  arms  and  be- 
ing   imitated     by     all    the    braves     in     the 


120  KAULY    INDIAN   HISTORY. 

'Ircle.  TluH  opened  the  coloiieFy  eyew  an  he  saw 
the  braves  were  no  novices  in  handling  the  club 
and  knife.  The  changing  of  club  to  knife  hand 
and  vice  versa  were  r;one  through  with  for  quite 
a  time  and  was  most  beautifully  done,  when 
one  luckless  brave  made  a  mistake.  At  a  sig- 
nal from  the  chief  the  drum  was  sounded  and 
everything  was  stopped,  when  the  unlucky  man 
was  taken  aside  by  the  chief  and  drilled  in  an 
awkward  squad  of  one  until  he  became  perfect, 
when  the  dance  went  on  by  giving  the  emer- 
gency war-whoop.  It  was  continuec.  some  time 
longer  when  speeches  by  the  braves  were  in 
order,  telling  of  their  experiences  since  the  last 
council,  with  varying  effects.  The  feast  came 
next  in  order,  but  first  1  will  tell  you  how  a  war- 
whoop  is  given.  Ther  are  two  kinds,  the  gen- 
eral and  the  emergency  whoop.  The  first  is 
given  by  a  yell  loud  and  long  enough  to  allow 
the  maker  to  slap  his  hand  over  his  mouth  three 
times,  then  repeat  and  once  again,  which  agrees 
with  the  white  man's  three  cheers.  The  emer- 
gency one  is  given  in  the  same  way  but  only  one 
yell  and  signifies  that  there  is  no  time  to  lose, 
but  hasten  quickly,  and  corresponds  with  the  long 
roll  in  white  military  service.  Dinner  was  now 
cooked  and  ready,  the  chief's  daughter 
being  the  leader  in  that  department.  She 
brought  and  spread  upon  the  ground  in  the  long 
wigwam  which  had  been  prepared  for  the  occas- 
ion, new  rugs  and  mats  made  of  rushes  wov- 
en together  with  bark.  She  placed  the  nicest 
one  where  she  intended  her  white  visitors  to  be 
^^ated.      She  appeared  more  neat  than  ever; 


aiii 


EARLY    INDIA?;    IIISToUY.  121 

with  a  nice  fitting  dresH  and  sailor  collar  of 
white  with<*)eads  in  braids  in  great  prc'iiBion 
about  her  neck  and  of  many  colort*,  her  collar 
lapping  at  the  throat  in  an  artistic  manner  and 
fastened  with  the  claw  of  an  eagle;  her  fine 
black  ha  ir  braided  and  coiled  at  the  back  of  her 
head  in  finest  style,  her  ber.u-catcher  locks  at  the 
temple  in  shape,  she  was  a  perfect  picture  of 
health  and  beauty  combined,  and  she  was  chief 
waiter  at  the  table  on  the  ground.  She  first 
brought  to  each  a  piece  of  roasted  meat  that  had 
been  done  at  the  fire  on  a  stick.  It  was  served 
on  a  plate  made  in  tray  shape  of  birch  bark. 
This  comprised  the  first  course.  The  colonel 
having  but  one  arm,  I  had  provided  myself  with 
a  sharpened  stick  to  use  as  a  fork  in  cutting  his 
meat  with  my  pocket  knife,  which  I  did  after 
excusing  myf elf  to  the  chief  and  his  daughter 
for  this  lack  of  ettiouette  at  an  Indian  dinner, 
where  knives  and  forks,  cups  and  saucers  are 
considered  unnecessary.  The  colonel  spA^e  in 
the  highest  terms  of  his  cut  of  meat  and  the 
good  taste  in  which  it  had  been  served  and 
inquired  of  me  what  kind  of  game  it  was,  but  I 
could  not  tell  him  as  I  only  knew  of  their  killing 
bear  and  deer.  This  course  being  over  the 
daughter  proceeded  the  take  orders  for  the  next, 
inquiring  of  each  their  preference  for  boiled  or 
roasted  meat.  The  colonel  ordered  both  kinds, 
remarking  that  bear  meat  was  a  choice  meat  to 
him,  but  venison  rather  beat  them  all.  During 
this  course  the  colonel  said  that  it  was  nice,  but 
could  not  compare  it  favorably  with  the  first 
dish,   and   said  that  he    must  have  the    hide 


122  EARLY   INDIAN   HiSTORY. 

of  that  animal  to  take  home  with  him  to  show 
to  his  people  and  tell  them  that  it  ^as  from  that 
animal  that  he  had  feasted  at  an  liidian 
dinner,  upon  the  choicest  morsel  he  had  ever 
eaten,  not  excepting  that  prepared  by  the  French 
cooks  of  New  Orleans.  Taking  from  his  pocket 
a  five  dollar  gold  coin  wished  me  to  tell  the 
daughter  it  .^as  for  that  particular  skin.  Th^ 
old  chief  smiled  at  the  sight  of  the  "shiner," 
and  more  so  as  it  was  aimed  at  the  hand  of  his 
idolized  daughter,  though  lie  knew  not  for  what 
it  was  being  given,  for  I  had  not  yet  told  him. 
The  daughter  was  not  at  first  inclined  to  take 
the  gold,  fearing  it  might  be  a  breach  of  good 
behavior,  but  I  assured  her  it  was  all  right,  and 
the  coin  was  dropped  into  the  hand  of  the  dusky 
maiden,  who,  by  the  way,  the  colonel  had 
named  '  'Queen  of  Pocagemah. "  The  meal  hav- 
ing been  finished  and  the  braves  were  preparing 
to  continue  their  dance  and  festivities,  the  col- 
onel requested  that  I  call  the  maiden  a«id  go 
with  them  to  see  the  skin  of  the  animal  that  he 
might  give  orders  to  have  it  properly  tanned 
and  ready  for  him  when  he  should  start  for 
home.  I  called  the  girl  and  we  proceeded  to 
the  place  where  the  hides  were  kept.  The 
Queen  of  Pocagemah  poin  ^ed  it  out,  and  there, 
stretched  between  two  poles,  hung  the  hide  of  a 
very  large  black  dog.  At  the  sight  of  it  the 
colonel's  anger  got  the  best  of  him,  notwith- 
standing the  presence  of  his  charmer,  and  he 
arraigned  me  before  the  bar  of  his  judgment  in 
terms  much  more  forcible  than  complimentary, 
and  had  he  been  provided  with  a  gun  he  would 


1    .    <Vs  1 


o 

o 

O 


I— I. 
O 

W 
o 


o 


^-A,M 


F  m 


mi  H 


I  '«*  ^' 


EARLY    INDIAN   HISTORY. 


123 


no  doubt  have  slain  me,  bo  great  ^^as  his  anger. 
But  with  only  one  arm  he  was  convinced  that  he 
would  be  obliged  to  wait  till  another  time  to  get 
even  with  me.  The  Indians  became  alarmed, 
thinking  the  man  was  crazy,  as  they  knew  not  a 
word  he  was  saying,  and  it  was  some  time  be- 
fore I  could  get  in  a  word  of  explanation.  I 
quieted  the  Indians'  fears  by  telling  them  it  was 
a  way  he  had,  but  that  it  was  nothing  against 
their  treatment  of  him.  But  nothing  would  do 
the  colonel  but  to  take  to  our  canoe  and  go 
home.  On  the  way  he  became  cooler  and  finally 
declared  he  had  made  an  unnecessary^  show  of 
himself,  without  cause,  and  after  m>  explana- 
tion that  I  knew  nothing  of  what  kind  of  meat 
we  were  eating,-  and  that  it  was  no  joke  played 
by  me,  he  became  perfectly  cool,  and  after  a 
week  or  so  sent  for  the  hide,  which  had  been 
neatly  tanned,  and  took  it  home  with  him,  as  he 
said,  a  reminder  of  the  war  dance  and  his  dis- 
play of  foolish  anger.  He  returned  to  New 
Orleans  after  a  few  weeks  and  I  heard  from  him 
several  times  in  relation  to  trespassing  matters, 
and  in  all  his  communications  would  mention 
the  medicine  dance,  and  was  particular  to 
enquire  after  the  health  of  his  "Queen  of  Poca- 
gemah.  About  this  time  Mrs.  Boutwell  left 
Pocagemah  and  joined  a  mission  up  the  Missis- 
sippi, but  the  chief's  daughter  continued  lier  pur- 
suit of  a  white  husband,  in  which  she  was  sue- 
cesstui  before  the  summer  liad  passed. 

In  August,  1847,  a  man  by  the  name  of  John 
Drake  came  to  Pocagemah.  Ho  was  a  fine  look- 
ing man  and  although  his  business  was  a  whiskey 


124  EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 

peddler,  he  worn  the  smiles  of  Colonel  Sim's  queen 
and  married  her.  He  started  a  whiskey  shop  near 
Knife  Lake  where  he  traded  in  steel  tiaps  and 
trinkets  with  the  Indians.  A  man  named  Henry 
Rusk,  who  could  talk  some  Chippewa,  went 
into  partnership  with  him  so  they  would  be  able 
to  trade.  Quarrels  and  fights  became  frequent 
at  their  place  and  one  or  two  shooting  affairs. 
When  Chief  Bi-a-,jek  heard  how  matters  were 
going  on  at  Drake's  place,  he  took  his  wife  and 
went  there  to  make  them  a  visit.  As  is  the 
Indian  custom  in  such  cases  they  took  along  their 
wigwam  and  pitched  it  a  short  distance  from 
Drake's  house.  They  then  went  and  called  on 
the  daughter  and  invited  her  to  call  upon  them 
at  their  lodge.  At  this  he  objected  and  said 
she  should  never  put  her  foot  in  their  wigwam. 
He  also  said,  through  Rusk,  that  if  the  chief 
was  not  away  from  there  before  morning  he 
would  shoot  him,  for  he  did  nOt  propose  to  have 
any  interference  in  his  family  affairs.  The  girl 
was  offended  at  this  remark  and  watching  an 
opportunity,  she  stole  away  and  went  to  the 
lodge  of  her  parents.  Drake  soon  discovered 
her  absence  and  found  out  where  she  had  gone 
and  became  fio  angry  that  he  took  his  rifle  and 
fired  a  shot  through  the  wigwam.  It  was  now 
dark  and  Rush  prevailed  upon  Drake  to  desist 
as  he  had  threatened  to  kill  the  whole  family. 
Rusk  now  had  the  gun  and  told  Drake  if  he 
would  be  quiet  and  stay  in  the  house  he  would 
go  to  the  wigwam  and  fix  up  matters  with  the 
chief.  When  the  shot  was  fired  by  Drake  the 
three  occupants  of  the  lodge  had  skulked  away 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 


125 


to  the  brush  and  the  chief  had  taken  a  position 
behind  a  tree  with  his  rifle  to  defend  himself 
from  any  further  attack,  and  as  Rusk  came  out 
of  the  door  gun  in  hand,  so  that  Drake  could 
not  use  it  during  his  absence,  the  chief  espied 
him  by  the  light  in  the  house  and  believing  it 
to  be  Drake  he  fired  at  him,. inflicting  a  mortal 
wound  As  Drake  now  saw  trouble  ahead  he 
quietly  slipped  away  from  the  house,  leaving 
everything  behind  him  and  reached  my  place  just 
at  daylight.  He  told  me  what  had  happened 
and  wanted  me  to  go  and  see  to  Rusk.  I  did  so, 
taking  with  me  three  men.  We  ^'^und  him 
just  breathing  his  last.  Drake  k  to  the 
woods  and  I  heard  from  him  a  month  or  so  after- 
wards at  Wood  Lake  where  he  had  a  quarrel  over 
some  steel  traps.  He  afterward  went  to  a  wig- 
wam of  the  party  with  whom  he  had  the  quarrel, 
and  not  finding  them  drove  the  family  from  it 
and  set  it  on  fire.  The  Indian  coming  from  the 
woods  just  then,  where  he  had  been  hunting, 
see  what  Drake  had  done,  hunted  him  up  and 
shot  him.  A  sort  of  an  investigation  was  had 
over  the  affair  which  resulted  in  sending  to  the 
authorities  at  St.  Croix  Falls  a  report  of  justifi- 
able homicide,  but  nothing  more  was  done  about 
it. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


The  Influence  of  Whiskey. — Its  Degrading 
Effects. — Official  Injustice. — The  Climax 
TO  the  Traders'  Stay  Among  the  Indians. — 
What  Followed  their  Departure. — Agents 
AND  their  Methods  of  Conducting  Payments. 
— The  Place  where  the  First  White  Man's 
Cabin  was  Seen. 

I  wish  now  to  go  back  to  the  Bubject  relatinS 
to  the  difference  in  the  Indians'  condition  bef or^ 
and  after  the  white  man's  appearance  among 
them,  for  it  is  a  subject  that  I  am  sure  will  be 
eagerly  sought  for  and  studied  before  many 
years  liave  passed,  and  that  when  it  has  been 
studied  and  fairly  understood,  the  feeling  that 
is  now  a  general  one  among  the  people — which 
is  if  the  Indians  have  been  illused  it  is  no  more 
than  they  deserved,  will  be  removed,  and  the 
blame  for  all  the  troubles  tliat  liave  been  made 
by  Indians  placed  where   it  properly  belongs ; 


EARLY    INDIAN   HISTORY.  127 

the  unbiased  judgment  of  the  future  will  be 
that  the  Indians  were  found  good  and  were 
made  bad  by  white  people,  and  that  the  condi- 
tion of  things  has  not  been  one  whit  improved 
by  white  associates,  but,  on  the  contrary,  has 
been  degraded. 

Before  their  forced  association  with  white 
people  the  standard  of  their  morality,  for  gener- 
ations at  least,  and  by  tradition,  had  been 
most  perfect  and  complete,  as  to  the  female  por- 
tion of  their  tribes,  but  now  it  was  assailed.  The 
deadly  fire-water  (whiskey)  was  brought  among 
them  and  virtue  fell.  Fathers  and  brothers  saw 
that  the  example  of  the  white  people  was  far  from 
the  teachings  of  the  missionaries,  far  from  the 
truth  and  the  pretentions  of  the  traders  and  far 
from  justice  and  right,  if  their  early  teachings 
had  been  correct.  Thus  the  naturally  quiet  and 
peaceable  minds  of  the  Indian  men  were  dis- 
turbed and  they  were  further  agitated  by  the 
upbraidings  of  their  wives  and  families  for  hav- 
ing sold  their  lands  and  encouraging  white  peo- 
ple to  come  among  them.  Soon  they  realized 
the  error  they  had  made,  and  with  them,  as 
with  all  people,  the  feeling  created  by  having 
made  a  Imd  bargain,  would  not  easily  down. 
Promises  of  better  times,  of  better  clothing  and 
being  better  fed  were  not  fulfilled.  Annuity 
payments  were  delayed  or  missed  altogether,  and 
the  father  who  heretofore  had  been  a  ceaseless 
toiler  for  his  home  and  family  had  become  indo- 
lent, selfish  and  morose,  and  the  few  families 
who  by  reason  of  their  connection  with  the  trad 
ers  though  their  daughters  were  better  clothed 


128  EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 

from  the  trader's  goods  or  better  fed  from  his 
larder,  became  the  objects  of  envy  of  those  less 
fortunate.  From  bad  to  worse  matters  went  until 
the  once  peaceable  and  industrious  race  of  a 
few  years  before  had  developed  ijito  an  indolent, 
vicious  and  beggarly  mob.  But  this  was  not  all 
that  was  in  store  for  them.  When  a  trader  had 
finished  his  stay  among  them,  which  he  was 
sure  to  do  when  his  trading  from  any  cause 
became  unprofitable  or  his  riches  were  suflicient 
he  would  abandon  his  Indian  wife  and  children 
and  leave  them  for  the  Indians  to  support.  I 
have  known  several  instances  where  an  Indian 
girl  was  the  second  time  abandoned  by  these 
inhuman  wretches  and  left  to  the  care  of  her 
relatives,  with  additions  to  her  first  family. 

There  is  now  scarcely  a  day  that  I  do  not 
meet  and  have  occasion  to  converse  with  some 
of  these  same  children,  in  many  cases  where 
their  fathers  are  or  have  been  prominent  men, 
wealthy  and  respected. 

When  I  see  a  son  or  daughter  of  wealthy  and 
respectable  men,  living  as  they  do  with  the  Indi- 
ans, the  finger  of  scorn  pointed  at  them,  with 
no  one  to  care  for  them  on  account  of  their 
Indian  blood,  or  to  protect  them  for  their  fath- 
er's sake,  it  is  fa^r  from  a  pleasant  sight  for  me, 
and  I  feel  called  upon  to  relate  at  least  one  inci- 
dent which  happened  but  recently  and  in  which 
one  of  these  daughters,  now  a  woman  perhaps 
thirty-five  or  thirty-six  years  of  age,  and  the 
child  of  a  man  once  a  member  of  the  cabinet  of 
our  country,  was  the  central  figure.  She  had 
once  been  married  to  a  respectable  half-breed, 


EARLY    TNDIAX   HISTORY.  129 

who  died  Bliortly  after  their  marriage,  leaving 
her  in  poor  circunistancee.  A  certain  clasB  of 
hoodlum  white  men — who^e  presence  has  ever 
been  a  curse  to  the  Indian — gained  entrance  to 
her  home  against  her  wishes,  and  with  whiskey 
and  unbecoming  conduct  caused  reports  to  be 
circulated  which  ended  in  her  being  arrested 
for  keeping  a  house  of  bad  repute,  aP  because 
her  Indian  blood  made  it  impossible  for  her  to 
be  heard  or  considered  by  her  white  neighbors. 
She  w^as  placed  in  Jail,  where  she  remained 
some  thirty  days  without  trial.  About  the  time 
of  her  arrest  or  a  short  time  previous,  there  had 
been  several  white  women  arrested  in  the  city 
for  the  same  offense,  but  they  were  prosecuted 
under  city  ordinance,  making  the  offense  a  fina- 
ble or  jailable  one,  while  the  charge  in  her  case 
was  brought  under  the  state  statutes,  which 
made  the  offense  punishable  in  the  state  prison. 
There  were  then  ciuite  a  number  of  half-caste 
people  in  the  community  who  could  read  fairly 
well.  They  saw  the  discrimination  and  had  seen 
it  before,  and  they  believed  the  disposition  of 
the  officers  was  not  to  give  them  fair  play,  and 
from  the  fact  that  I  had  been  identified  with 
the  Indians  for  fifty-four  years  and  from  the 
further  fact  that  I  spoke  their  language,  it  was 
natural  for  them  to  come  to  me  to  be  informed 
in  this  as  well  as  in  other  matters,  and  they 
asked  me  Avhy  this  discrimination  existed. 
Knowing  they  were  aware  of  its  existence,  I 
told  them  the  truth:  "It  is  because  you  are 
Indians."  In  the  case  of  this  woman  I  went  to 
the  judge  and  district  attorney  and  pleaded  for 


130  EARLY    INDIAN    HlJ^TURY. 

her.  I  told  tliein  I  knew  the  woman  well  and 
had  Binoe  her  birth,  and  alao  knew  her  father; 
that  he  liad  many  time  sent  her  presents  through 
me  and  kei)t  it  up  until  lie  died,  but  at  hiy  death 
an  far  I  knew,  he  had  made  no  provision  for  his 
daughther  of  the  forest.  I  told  them  I  did  not 
think  she  should  hav^e  any  greater  punishment 
than  the  others,  who  had  been  arrested  and 
prosecuted  for  a  like  ofTense,  and  thought  the 
punishment  she  had  already  received  was  suf- 
ficient, and  that  she  had  no  money  and  no  one 
to  defend  her.  I  asked  that  she  be  allowed  to 
go  upon  her  promise  to  sin  no  more  and  when 
the  prosecuting  witness  refused  to  testify  against 
her  if  her  punishment  was  to  be  greater  than 
her  white  sisters'  had  been,  the  judge  and  dis- 
trict attorney  .agreed  to  and  did  release  her  on 
her  promise  never  again  to  give  them  occasion 
to  arrest.  The  result  is  the  woman  is  now  liv- 
ing on  the  reservation  and  as  far  as  I  know  has 
never  given  cause  for  another  arrest. 

I  have  done  all  I  could  in  the  past  to  keep  the 
Indians  quiet,  peaceable  and  satisfied,  hoping 
that  the  government  would  some  day  take  hold 
of  the  matter  and  right  their  wrongs,  and  wish 
to  say  without  any  desire  to  flatter  myself  in 
any  way,  that  I  have  in  the  past  had  the  good 
fortune  to  keep  in  check  a  number  of  uprisings 
among  the  Indians,  which,  without  the  counsel 
I  gave  them,  would  have  resulted  in  butchery. 
I  always  gave  them  counsel  when  they  were  in 
proper  moods  and  solder  senses,  and  never  when 
they  were  excited  or  intoxicated.  I  never  sold 
an  Indian  a  drop  of  liquor  or  helped  them  in  any 


KAKLV    INDIAN    UISToKY.  liU 

way  to  m'ocure  it.  I  always  dealt  fairly  with 
them  aiid  gave  them  as  good  bargains  aa  I  would 
a  white  man. 

From  my  earliest  recollection  I  have  been 
more  or  less  among  the  Indians,  in  fact  the 
principal  part  of  my  life  has  been  spent  among 
them,  first  with  the  Cherokees,  Choctaws  and 
Creek  nations  in  Tennessee  and  Georgia,  and  at 
the  age  of  ten  years  I  spoke  the  Cherokee  lan- 
guage ]x'tter  than  the  English.  Leaving  that 
part  of  the  country  at  ten  years  of  age,  I  never 
saw  ranch  more  of  those  tribes.  When  fifteen 
years  old  I  came  north  and  have  been  with  the 
Sac  and  Foxes — Black  Hawk's  people — the 
Sioux,  Winnebagos,  Potawatomies,  Ottawas, 
Menominies  and  Chippewas,  but  since  1840  with 
the  Chippewas  most  all  the  time,  and  have  been 
brought  up,  as  might  be  said,  with  their  habits 
and  customs.  I  readily  learned  the  Chippewa 
tongue  by  being  familiar  with  the  language  and 
signs  of  other  tribes  with  whom  I  early  associ- 
ated and  within  two  years  I  had  their  language 
almost  perfect,  and  from  my  earliest  contact 
with  Indians  I  learned  that  the  best  to  adopt 
was  truthf ulr  ess  and  fair  dealing,  a  '  'do  as  you 
would  be  do  c  by"  policy,  as  it  was  the  true  and 
only  one  that  found  favor  with  them.  I  never 
promised  an  Indian  anything  until  I  was  posi- 
tive I  could  fulfill  it.  In  this  way  I  soon"  had 
their  confidence  and  friendship,  and  I  must  say 
I  have  ever  found  them  the  truest  of  friends 
and  the  most  implacable  enemies. 

A  once  prominent  citizen  of  Ashland,  and  a 
resident  of  Bayfield  at  a  time  when  a  plan  was 


132  EARLY    INDIAN    HISTORY. 

being  matured  by  which  a  number  of  white  men, 
through  a  deal  they  were  contemplating  with 
the  Indians,  coukl  make  a  quantity  of  money, 
and  after  I  had  been  informed  of  the  plan  and 
offered  an  interest  in  it,  which  I  refused  because 
I  thought  it  was  an  unfair  deal  for  the  Indians, 
made  a  remark  after  I  had  left  the  room,  which 
was:  "I  believe  Armstrong  would  steal  from  a 
white  man  to  give  to  an  Indian."  Afterward 
in  conversation  with  this  gentleman,  I  told  him 
that  his  words  had  l)een  given  to  me  by  one  of 
the  party  and  that  I  took  no  offense  at  the 
remark,  but  in  very  forcible  language  told  hiin 
I  w^ould  under  no  circui.istances  ''steal  from  an 
Indian  to  give  to  a  white  man." 

The  Indians  are  a  very  quick-sighted  people 
and  have  a  memory  that  is  traditional  for  its 
volume  and  they  were  not  long  in  discovering 
that  they  were  being  unfairly  treateti  by  the 
traders  and  others,  and  they  reasoned  in  this 
way:  These  men  are  now  our  relatives  by  mar- 
riage to  our  sisters  and  we  must  make  the  best 
of  it  for  the  sake  of  this  relationship.  Under 
this  way  of  looking  at  things  matters  continued 
for  a  number  of  years,  and  was  borne  by  the 
Indians  as  the  best  way  of  getting  along. 

But  the  climax  came  when  the  traders  quit  the 
country  and  left  their  families  to  the  Indians' 
care.  This  led  to  family  troubles.  The  aban- 
doned woman  would  go  back  to  her  family, 
where  there  were  probably  several  children  and 
dependent  persons  to  support  and  only  one  or 
two  men  to  hunt  for  their  living.  The  addition 
to  the  perhaps  already  heavy  burden  was  hard 


KARLY    INDIAN   HISTORY.  133 

to  Dear.  The  white  race  were  curbed,  family 
talks  reBulted  in  aggrivating  troubles  that  were 
already  heavy  enough.  Division  of  sentiment 
in  many  cases  led  to  bitter  quarrels  and  blood- 
shed, and  in  some  cases  separation  between 
man  and  wife,  a  thing  unheard  of  until  recent 
years.  The  abandoned  women  have,  in  many 
cases,  lived  to  see  their  former  husband  mar- 
ried to  white  women,  too  proud  even  to  speak 
to  their  wife  or  child  of  a  few  years  before.  I 
do  not  wish  to  reflect  on  any  one  or  more  per- 
sons to  whom  this  may  be  personal  but  give  it 
for  history  only.  I  give  no  man  credit  for  mar- 
rying an  Indian  woman  and  claim  he  gains  no 
honors  by  so  doing,  but  I  do  claim  that  once  he 
has  married  her  he  puts  himself  upon  a  level 
with  her  and  really  is  no  better  than  she  and 
certainly  the  children  are  of  his  blood  and  he 
should  at  least  see  that  they  are  cared  for  and 
educated  instead  of  leaving  them  to  grow  up  in 
ignorance  with  a  I'ce  he  had  voluntarily  left  as 
unfit  for  his  association.  Go  upon  the  reserva- 
tions and  one  can  see  that  of  those  people  there 
now,  not  one  fourth  remain  that  have  no  white 
blood  in  their  veins,  and  two  thirds  of  this  amal- 
gamation is  traceable  to  those  persons  who 
located  themselves  among  the  Indians  for  the 
purpose  of  trading  exclusively,  Indian  agents 
and  government  employes. 

It  has  always  seemed  to  the  Indians  that  the 
disposition  of  traders  was  purely  selfish,  and 
now  they  know  that  their  only  object  in  coming 
among  them  was  to  profit  by  and  through  their 
unskillialpess,  and  never  had  any  intention  of 


134  EARLY    INDIAN   HISTORY. 

dealing  fairly  and  being  honorable  with  them, 
myself  also  included  with  the  victims,  for  cer- 
tainly I  have  been  wronged  diul  swindled  by 
this  same  class  of  men,  who  betrayed  me  after 
my  confidence  was  gained. 

I  wish  now  to  say  something  of  the  conduct 
of  Indian  agents  and  the  manner  in  which  they 
have  dealt  with  the  Indians  and  to  state  f.icts 
that  have  come  under  my  personal  observation, 
and  I  wish  to  say  in  beginning  this  subject  that 
but  one  agent,  whose  distribution  I  attended 
dealt  fairly  with  and  used  no  deception  in  his 
transactions  with  the  Indians,  and  that  was 
Agent  Hayes,  who  was  appointed  by  President 
Tyler.  When  he  arrived  with  the  annuities 
and  after  they  had  been  placed  in  the  ware- 
house, he  sent  for  the  chiefs  and  asked  them  to 
take  their  interpreter  and  the  way  bills  and  go 
through  the  warehouse  and  satisfy  themselves 
that  all  packages  called  for  by  the  bills  were 
there,  and  all  boxes,  barrels,  bales  and  bundles 
were  checked  before  they  were  opened.  A  few 
packages  were  short  and  Mr.  Hayes  told  the 
chiefs  that  when  he  came  next  time  they  should 
be  added  to  their  goods  for  another  year.  The 
packages  were  opened  and  the  Indians  were  sat- 
isfied that  all  were  there  before  anything  further 
was  done.  The  Indians  were  then  enrolled  and 
the  goods  were  divided  among  them.  First  the 
goods  were  put  in  packages,  dividing  tliein 
equally — the  paxjkageB  for  families  and  packag(3S 
for  single  persons  were  all  put  up  and  labeled 
with  the  name  of  the  owner.  Then  the  Indians 
were  notified  that  the  annuities  were  ready  to 


> 

G 


2 


-^. 


..Lid 


EARLY    INDIAN   HISTORY.  135 

be  distributed,  and  would  be  on  a  certain  day. 
One  man  at  a  time  was  let  into  the  payment 
house,  and  he  came  as  his  name  was  called  by 
the  interpreter.  When  he  entered  lie  was  asked 
io  touch  the  pen  and  his  ,p;oods  and  money 
were  handed  to  him.  Tliis  payment  was  con- 
ducted throughout  without  a  jar  or  any  troul:)le, 
and  after  the  distribution  was  completed  the 
chiefs  were  sent  for  and  all  the  boxes,  ])urlaps, 
and  even  the  cordage  was  given  to  them,  and 
quite  a  handful  of  money  which  was  left  owv, 
for  where  even  change  could  not  be  made  in  all 
cases  was  given  to  le  chiefs  also,  and  they  were 
told  to  divide  it  as  they  saw  fit.  The  acts  of 
Mr.  Hayes  all  through  the  distribution  were 
praiseworthy.  He  would  explain,  through  the 
interpreter,  the  amount  that  was  due,  and 
count  the  Indian's  money  before  him. 

The  custom  practiced  before  Mr.  Hayes  and 
after  him  was  to  allow  the  traders  places  by  the 
pay  table,  especially  the  American  Fur  Co., 
with  an  open  sack  in  which  to  take  the  money 
claimed  to  be  due  them  from  the  Indians  and 
as  soon  as  an  Indian  had  touched  the  pen  tlie 
bill  against  this  Indian  was  handed  to  the  agent 
and  the  money  poured  into  the  traders'  sack, 
and  the  bill  was  generally  enough  to  cover  the 
Indian's  dues.  But  at  tliis  payment  the  S(^heme 
did  not  work,  the  agent  told  tlie  traders  before- 
hand that  he  was  not  there  to  pay  traders,  l)ut 
to  pay  Indians,  and  if  they  had  bills  to  collect 
they  must  do  so  outside  the  payment  house 
door,  as  he  would  not  be  a  party  to  a  division  of 
the  Indians'  money.      He  also  had  the  inter- 


I 


• 


136  EARLY   INDIA:^f    HISTORY. 

preter  explain  to  the  Indians,  that  the  great 
father  had  sent  him  to  pay  them  and  he  hoped 
if  they  owed  these  traders  any  honest  debts  they 
would  pay  them,  bnt  he  should  not  allow  the 
traders  to  impose  upon  them  and  take  money 
that  was  not  their  due. 

Had  the  manner  of  doing  business  that  was 
adopted  by  Mr.  Hayes  been  commenced  and 
carried  out  in  making  payments  a  great  deal  of 
trouble  would  have  been  avoided  and  the  strong- 
est point  of  Indian  objection  to  the  traders 
would  not  have  existed.  But  Mr.  Hayes  never 
came  back  to  make  another  payment  and  the  old 
ways  were  again  adopted.  His  way  of  doing 
business  did  not  suit  the  traders  and  charges 
were  preferred  against  him,  one  of  which  was 
that  he  drank  too  much.  The  charges  were 
made  so  strong,  whether  truthfully  or  not  the 
public  can  conjecture,  that  he  was  removed 
from  the  position  and  Doctor  Livermore  appoint- 
ed in  his  place,  who  seemed  to  satisfy  the  Amer- 
ican Fur  Co.  much  better,  although  the  Indians 
were  much  displeased.  Following  Livermore 
came  John  S.  Waters,  of  whom  I  have  spoken 
previously,  then  H.  C.  Gilbert  was  appointed 
and  still  no  improvement.  The  next  to  follow 
was  Silas  Drew,  of  Indiana,  then  L.  E.  Webb, 
of  La  Crosae;  after  him  came  Asaph  Whittlesey, 
who  took  charge  of  the  office  a  few  montha  but 
who  was  not  confirmed  by  the  Senate.  Col. 
John  H.  Knight  superceded  him  but  his  appoint- 
ment was  not  confirmed  and  he  too  served  only 
a  few  months.  After  him  came  Maj.  Clark,  of 
the  army;  then  came  Doctor  Mahan,  and  it  was 


■Rl 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY.  137 

during  liis  administration  that  the  treaty  of 
1854  expired  and  since  that  time  I  do  not  care  to 
giay  what  agents  have  or  have  not  done,  as  it  is 
of  recent  date  and  within  reach  of  any  who  care 
to  look  it  up. 

I  will  now  refer  to  the  Modoc  troublet^^  a  little, 
as  1  had  a  friend,  Col.  Ben.  Green,  a  cousin  of 
mine,  there  at  the  time,  who  sent  me  full  par- 
ticulars,of  the  affair,  diagrams  of  the  country, 
and  other  matters  pertaining  thereto.  I  do  not 
care  to  enter  into  details  as  to  the  orders  issued 
by  Gen.  Canby  to  tl)e  Modocsasthey  are  already 
in  history,  but  will  say  that  he  was  informed 
beforehand  that  if  the  orders  issued  were 
attempted  to  be  carried  out  without  first  giving 
the  Indians  a  chance  to  be  heard,  there  would 
be  serious  trouble,  as  the  Indians  had  good  rea- 
sons to  assign  for  not  wishing  to  remove  to  the 
reservation  which  had  been  set  apart  for  them. 
It  seems  Canby  did  not  take  kindly  to  this 
advice  but  took  steps  to  carry  out  the  orders  he 
had  issued,  and  the  Indians,  who  knew  of  his 
coming  with  troops  to  eject  them,  ambuslied 
the  troops.  Gen.  Canby  being  killed  [and  the 
Lava  Bed  (jampaign  began.  The  death  of  Gen. 
Canby  as  now  in  history  may  differ  from  this 
as  to  the  place  and  the  manner  in  which  he  was 
killed,  but  I  got  this  account  from  a  disinterest- 
ed eye-witness.  I  have  no  doubt  but  that  the  , 
Indians  in  that  campaign  were  misled  by  Capt. 
Jack  and  others  for  the  notoriety  and  gain  there 
was  in  it,  they  not  thinking  or  perhaps  not  car- 
ing for  the  consequences  such  an  affair  might 
produce.     As  a  rule  but  one  side  ol  Indian  war 


138  EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 

stories  getto  the  public  and  that  i«  the  side  that 
comes  from  and  through  the  parties  most  inter- 
ested, and  this  accounts  for  the  deep-seated 
hatred  which  everywhere  exists  for  the  red  man, 
but  it  is  my  fixed  opinion  that  before  many 
years  have  pawsed  a.  great  change  in  i)ublic  opin- 
ion will  take  place;  the  Indians  will  be  credited 
'  with  having  had  an  abundance  of  honor  in  their 
primitive  days  and  a  heap  of  [ibuse  since. 
I  I  will  now  give  spac^e  to  a  clipping  from  "The 

Minneapolis   Journal"   of   February  4th,   18j)1, 
entitled  "Some  Indian  History": 

"I  see  the  people  are  making  a  great  fuss  over 
Gen.  Miles,"  said  a  prominent  Dakota  man  to  a 
Journal  reporter  recently.  "When  he  returned 
to  the  'World's  Fair  City'  the  bands  greeted 
him  playing  "See  the  Conquering  Hero  Comes"; 
he  was  banquetted  and  nearly  all  the  prominent 
citizens  made  speeches  lauding  his  masterly  con- 
duct of  the  Indian  campaign.  It  is  possible  that 
there  is  something  of  a  political  nature  in  all 
this  buncombe,  but  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the 
country  will  not  allow  itself  to  be  deceived  with 
regard  to  the  recent  Indian  uprising.  Greneral 
Miles  is  praised  for  his  sagacity  in  averting  one 
of  the  bloodiest  Indian  Avars  ever  known  to  the 
history  of  this  country.  This  statement  ig 
absurd  and  a  calm  and  impartial  investigation 
of  the  facts  will  prove  my  assertion.  Without 
entering  into  the  fact  that  the  government  has 
shamefully  treated  the  Sioux  Indians  and  that 
they  were  half  starved  and  illy-clothed,  the  fact 
remains  that  there  was  no  uprising  whatever. 
The  "ghost-dance",  so-called,  was  nothing  more 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY.  1B9 

than^a  half-crazy  religious  exciteiiioiit,  and  liad 
the  Indian  bureau  placed  a  brave  and  compe- 
tent man  in  charge  of  the  Pine  Kidge  agency, 
there  would  have  been  no  need  of  (uilling  out 
the  military  whatsoever,  ^ven  after  (tcu.  Miles' 
army  arrived  there,  if  we  may  take  tlie  word  of 
the  most  noted  Indian  8(50uts,  notably  that  of 
Maj.  J.  M.  Burke,  who  is  a  sort  of  a  white  chief 
among  the  Ogalla  Sioux,  the  troubleniighthave 
been  averted.  Burke  says  emphatically  that 
Col.  Cody  (Buffalo  Bill)  could  easily  have  suo 
ceeded  in  inducing  Sitting  Bull  to  go  with  him 
peaceably,  and  tluit  had  he  been  allowed  to 
carry  out  his  program  there  woidd  have  l)een 
no  Wounded  Knee  fight  and  no  bloodshed. 
You  must  have  noticed  that  Gen.  Miles  or  the 
Indian  department  gave  strict  orders  against 
allowing  the  chiefs  who  were  taken  to  Wash- 
ington to  talk  to  anybody.  Inasmuch,  however, 
as  they  have  gone  to  the  capitol  to  hold  a  pow- 
wow with  the  government,  I  do  not  care  to  talk 
about  the  matter  or  to  have  my  name  mentioned, 
but  if  you  want  to  hear  the  other  side  of  the 
story  you  should  interview  some  person  who  is 
connected  with  the  Indians  and  who  knows 
their  grievances.  Hunt  up  Gus.  Beaulieu,  of 
your  own  state.  He  had  charge  of  all  the  trea- 
ties here  and  has  represented  the  Chippewas  in 
all  their  land  deals.  He  may  have  an  interest- 
ing story  to  tell  you." 

Gus.  Beaulieu,  who  is  a  resident  of  St.   Paul, 
and  who  is  widely  known  among  all  the  Indian 
tribes  of  the  northwest,  when  found,  said: 
-  "The  whole  truth  of  this  sad  business  will 


PI 

1 

tl!!  I 


I' 


140  EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 

come  out  some  dfiy  and  when  it  does  some  of  the 
events  that  preceded  the  Custer  massacre  and 
led  up  to  tliat  bloody  butchery  will  startle  the 
country.  I  tliink  ij  was  in  April,  1870,  and 
something  like  two  months  previous  to  the 
annihilation  of  Custer's  command,  that  Miles 
and  his  soldiers  rushed  in  one  day  upon  an 
Indian  village  in  Montana  and  killed  every  man, 
woman  and  child  in  it.  Bucks,  sciua,,ws  and 
pappooses  were  shot  down  without  mercy.  There 
were  between  200  and  800  Indians  killed.  The 
village  was  far  from  the  railroads  and  the  tele- 
graph, and  information  of  the  horrible  affair 
did  not  reach  the  government  and  the  people 
until  after  the  Custer  massacre,  and  then,  of 
course,  the  public  mind  was  so  occupied  with 
that  butchery  that  no  attention  was  paid  to  the 
previous  massacre  of  the  Indians.  When  the 
Sioux  met  Custer  they  expected  no  quarter  and 
gave  none.  Even  had  the  whole  truth  about 
the  outrage  committed  by  Miles  and  his  soldiers 
been  known  at  the  time  no  action  would  have 
been  taken,  such  was  the  excitment  and  preju- 
dice against  the  red  men.  Here  in  Minnesota 
when  the  Mille  Lac  reservation  was  opened  to 
settlement,  Indian  Commissioners  Marty,  Rice 
and  Whiting  made  a  treaty  with  the  Chippewas 
in  which  each  Indian  was  promised  land  in  sev- 
eralty Bishop  Marty,  one  of  the  commissioners, 
gave  me  the  treaty  to  interpret.  I  then  told  the 
Indians  that  in  my  opinion  they  were  transfer- 
ing  all  their  rights  to  these  lands.  Bishop  Mar- 
ty and  Commissioners  Rice  and  Whiting  were 
asked  to  hold  up  their  hands  and  swear  that  if 


^smammatimm 


EARLY    INDIAN   HISTORY.  141 

the  Indians  filed  on  these  lands  for  homsteads, 
their  rights  vvould  be  observed  the  same  as  wliite 
men.  This  the  commissioners  swore  to.  After- 
wards wliite  men  filed  on  the  lands  that  had 
been  taken  by  members  of  the  Chippewa  tribe 
and  when  the  matter  was  referred  to  the  se(^re- 
tary  of  the  Interior  tliat  official  decided  that 
the  Indians  had  no  rights  whatsoever. 

"Why  is  it  that  you  or  some  person  for  the 
Indians  have  not  made  complaint  to  the  Pres- 
ident r 

' '  That  is  precisely  what  is  now  being  arivanged 
for.  The  Indians  through  the  entire  northwest 
have  agreed  to  send  representatives  to  some 
point  not  as  yet  designated,  to  collect  data  and 
facts  regarding  the  Miles  outrage  in  Montana, 
the  starvation  at  Pine  Ridge,  Cheyenne  and 
Rose  Bud  agencies,  and  the  failure  of  the  gov- 
ernment everywhere  to  keep  treaties.  This 
council  will  be  held  as  soon  as  practicable  and 
certain  chiefs  will  be  designated  to  go  on  to 
Washington  to  present  all  the  facts,  their 
wrongs  and  grievances,  and  more  especially  to 
expose  the  whole  truth  in  regard  to  the  outrage 
committed  before  the  Custer  massacre. " 

After  this  interview  with  Beaulieu  I  got  a  let- 
ter from  him  in  relation  to  other  matters  as  well 
as  this  interview,  and  he  says  he  was  misquoted 
as  far  as  to  the  name  of  the  commanding  officer 
at  the  Indian  massacre  in  Montana.  He  said 
his  information  was  hear-say  to  a  great  extent, 
and  that  the  officer  commanding  at  the  massa- 
cre of  the  Indian  village  was  Gen.  Baker. 

When  the  Modoc  hostilities  began  I  saw  the 


i42  EARLY   INDIAN  HISTORY. 

opp;)i'tuuity  for  which  I  had  h3ng  been  watch- 
ing, of  taking  a  band  of  Indiana  eawtto  show 
them  the  great  white  nation  and  what  civiliza- 
tion really  wan,  and  attheBametime  be  engaged 
in  a  paying  pnranit.  Under  an  aHsnmed  name, 
to  cover  the  nationality  of  the  Indians  I  had 
with  me,  which  I  represented  as  Modoc,  I  made 
the  trip.  I  collected  a  party  of  six  (jf  the  most 
intelligen.t  of  any  Indian  people  in  this  section, 
five  of  them  young  and  active  men  and  one  an 
old  and  experienced  chief. 

We  left  Lake  Superior  in  the  early  part  of 
November,  1874,  and  went  on  foot  to  Eau  Claire, 
Wis.,  there  took  train  for  Boston,  only  stopping 
one  day  at  Niagara  Falls,  showing  them  the 
sights.  The  old  chief  had  been  there  before, 
however,  when  he  was  a  boy.  While  in  Boston 
I  had  an  offer  from  a  theatrical  manager  of 
$5, 000  for  a  three  month's  engagement  at  a  thea- 
tre there,  l)ut  as  that  would  prevent  [me  from 
showing  my  people  what  I  set  out  to  show  them, 
I  declined  the  offer  and  took  a  train  for  Man- 
chester, New  Hampshire,  intending  to  go  about 
as  far  east  as  possible  and  then  work  my  way 
west,  stopping  at  all  principal  cities.  When  we 
arrived  in  Manchester  I  met  the  manager  of  a 
large  show  named  E.  S.  Washburn,  whose  show 
was  named  "Washburn's  Last  Sensation,"  and 
was  constantly  traveling  over  the  eastern  states 
and  was  then  going  through  Maine,  Vermont, 
New  Hampshire,  Massachusetts,  Connecticut, 
Rhode  Island,  New  York  and  Pennsylvania.  1 
thought  this  the  best  opportunity  of  showing 
my  people  the  great  wonders  of  the  east  and  at 


warn 


EARLY    INDIAN    IIISTORV.  143 

the  Pame  time  of  keeping  up  expenses  and 
accepted  an  of!er  from  liim.  Tlie  combination 
then  consisted  of  t'orty-fonr  persons  and  we 
traveled  with  him  eight  months.  I  showed  the 
Indians  all  the  mann factories  possibkj  and 
witli  them  examined  all  objects  of  interest  that 
came  in  onr  way.  Whenever  we  stopped  over 
night  and  especially  over  Snnday  we  were  vis- 
ited by  a  great  nnniber  of  people  and  the  con- 
versation naturally  tnrned  upon  the  subject  of 
the  Modoc  war  I  avoided  as  much  as  possible 
to  assign  reasons  or  the  probable  cause  of  the 
uprising,  more  especially  because  I  found  that 
great  prejudice  existed  everywhere  in  the  east 
against  the  Modoc  people,  and  against  all  Indi- 
ans in  general,  and  it  would  not  be  policy  for 
me  to  speak  in  their  favor,  or  even  to  infer  that 
they  possibly  might  have  been  in  ^tlie  right  in 
that  uprising, 

At  one  of  these  meetings  where  a  goodly  num- 
ber of  people  were  gathered,  a  gentleman  whom 
his  companions  called  captain,  related  to  me 
briefly  his  experience  in  an  overland  trip"  to 
California.  Before  making  his  start  he  said  he 
was  particular  to  provide  himself  with  a  very 
fine  rifle,  as  it  was  possible  he  might  want  to 
practice  his  markmanship  on  Indians  before  he 
got  through.  On  a  certain  morning  while  on 
his  journey,  somewhere  in  Utah,  himself  and 
one  other  started  ahead  of  the  Jcaravan  to  look 
for  antelope  or  other  game,  and  after  traveling 
a  few  miles  he  espied  a  squaw  with  a  back-load 
of  wood,  which  she  soon  laid  down,  as  he  sup- 


I  [ 


144  EAULY    INDIAN    HISTORY. 

powed,  lo  rent,  and  sat  upon  it.  Thinking  tliin  a 
good  opportunity  to  try  liin  marksmanship,  lie 
hneh'd  Ids  trusty  rifle  and  fired,  'ilie  ^ii'l 
(b'opptHl  from  the  pile  of  wood  and  he  remarked 
to  lii^'  companions  that  her  posterity  would 
nmer  s(*alp  wliite  people.  An  old  K^'idleman  in 
the  party  tlien  asked:  "Captain,  did  they  fol- 
low you,  or  what  happened  next  f '  The  (cap- 
tain answered  :  ''No,  they  did  not  follow  us  and 
we  saw  no  more  of  fhem,"  )uit,  said  he,  ''I 
heard,  after  getting  to  California,  that  the  car- 
avan that  was  following  in  our  wake  and  a  few 
days  in  our  rear,  were  attacked  near  that  place 
and  the  whole  party  slain, "  and  then  added  : 
''Gentlemen,  you  see  what  a  savage  nature  and 
brutal  instinct  those  Indians  had,  to  surround 
that  caravan  and  kill  the  party. "  I  could  hold 
myself  no  longer,  whether  it  was  policy  or  not, 
and  said:  ''Suppose  a  band  of  Indians  were 
passing  through  your  country  here  and  one  of 
them  should  deliberately  and  without  cause 
shoot  one  of  the  women  in  your  neighborhood, 
is  there  a  man  in  this  house  or  in  this  city  that 
would  n()t  jump  for  his  gun  to  avenge  that  mur- 
der T  Turning  to  the  captain,  I  said:  "Your 
language  shows,  whether  your  story  be  true  or 
not,  that  your  natural  disposition  is  to  commit 
just  such  an  attrocity  as  you  have  mentioned, 
whenever  an  opportunity  should  present  itself, 
and  you  can  resent  these  words  of  mine  or  not 
as  you  please."  But  he  did  not  resent  it  and  I 
stated  then  that  this  very  act  o^f  this  self-con- 
fessed murderer,  and  similar  act*g  of  others  had 
always  been  and  still  were  the  cause    of  all 


Iffl! 


JL 


EARLY    INDIAN    illSTORY. 


145 


troubles  with  Indian  tribes.  Here  is  a  fair 
example  of  many  others  where  the  real  murderer 
escaped,  but  the  consequences  of  his  act  was  vis- 
ited in  a  ten-fold  manner  upon  the  heads  of 
innocent  and  defenseless  parties.  This  dastardly 
and  unprovoked  assault  upon  an  innocent  and 
harmless  woman  had  caused  a  wail  of  woe  to  go 
up  from  many  a  broken  home,  and  the  Indians 
must  bear  the  stigma  as  a  people,  when  by  right 
it  belongs  at  this  man's  door.  There  was  con- 
siderable agitation  in  the  meeting  at  my  remarks, 
but  it  broke  up  without  any  open  rupture. 

One  more  incident  that  occurred  upon  this 
trip  which  is  in  connection  with  a  tradition  giv 
en  in  a  former  chapter,  I  wish  to  mention.  We 
stopped  over  one  Sunday  in  Springfield,  Mass., 
and  I  took  the  Indians  out  for  an  airing,  as  we 
usually  took  tramps  on  Sundays.  We  went  six 
or  eight  miles  up  the  Chicopee  River  to  Chicopee 
Falls,  where  the  old  chief  fell  behind  the  party 
and  when  I  first  noticed  him  he  was  intently 
surveying  the  surrounding  country.  I  asked 
him  at  what  he  was  looking  and  he  replied  :  '  'I 
have  many  times  heard  Buffalo  tell  you  of  the 
experience  his  great-grand-father  had  with  the 
first  white  man  he  ever  saw,  and  I  believe  from 
the  description  that  this  is  about  the  place.  If 
I  could  get  over  to  the  other  side  I  could  satisfy 
myself  in  an  hour  or  two."  We  crossed  over 
and  the  old  man  made  a  thorough  survey  of  the 
whole  locality  and  when  he  returned,  said  to 
me:  >"This  is  the  place."  He  told  me  that  he 
had  found  signs  of  a  burying  ground  and  that 
there  had  some  day  been  a  har(t  battle  fought 


i 


1 


146  EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 

there,  either  between  whites  and  Indians  or 
between  two  tribes  of  Indians,  and  was  quite 
sure  from  the  signs  that  one  of  the  burying 
grounds  was  that  of  the  Algonquin  tribe,  but 
could  find  no  monuments  to  indicate  any  par- 
ticular persons  that  were  buried  there. 

After  we  had  returned  home  the  talk  for  the 
next  six  months  was  concerning  the  sights  they 
had  seen  in  the  east  and  one  incident  connected 
with  these  talks,  was  when  the  old  chief  was 
asked  how  many  white  people  he  saw  on  the 
trip.  A-f ter  a  short  hesitation  replied  :  ' '  Go 
down  along  this  fence  to  that  tree,"  pointing  it 
out,  "then  to  such  another  point;  thence  to 
such  a  rock,  and  back  here" — I  judged  there 
was  six  acres  in  the  tract, — "and  then  count  the 
blades  of  grass  that  are  growing  there  and  that 
number  will  give  you  some  idea  of  the  num- 
ber of  white  people  I  saw." 


«%' 


o 


^  "^ 


a 

K 

z 

K 

X 

c 
z 

c 


W 


o 

?! 
■< 

I 

>^ 
O 


CHAPTER  IX. 


The  Mound  Build5:rs  and  Ground  House  Peo- 
ple.— The  Origin  of  the  Chippewas. — Early 
Missionaries. — Early  Associations  and  Inci- 
dents. —  Watermelons.  —  An  Indian  Execu- 
tion.— Blackhawks'  Capture. 

Among  the  moat  interesting  matters  to  whicli 
I  have  listened  while  with  the  Indians  is  their 
tradition  and  belief  regarding  the  earliest  inhab- 
itants that  lived  in  this  country,  the  trend  of 
whicli  is  that  two  distinct  races  of  people,  were 
upon  the  earth  before  the  Indians  were,— the 
Mound  Builders  and  Ground  House  People, 
— though  many  of  the  most  intelligent  believe 
that  the  two  races  were  upon  earth  at  the  same 
time.  Their  opinion  and  belief,  however,  is 
founded  upon  tradition,  and  what  they  can  see 
upon  tlm  face  of  the  earth.  The  mounds  that 
are  familiar  to  many  oi  us,  are  supposed  by  most 
people  t )  be  of  many  years  standing.  The  Indi- 
ans have  no  tradition  concerning  their  origin 


1  h 


!i 


Hi' 


I II 


148  EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 

and  are  as  much  in  the  dark  as  we  are  as  to 
whom  or  by  what  race  they  were  built. 

I  am  aware  that  this  does  not  agree  with 
many  eminent  historians  and  there  are  many 
educated  people  who  have  made  deep  researches, 
who  believe  they  were  of  Indian  construction, 
but  I  have  talked  scores  of  times  Avith  old  Indi- 
ans upon  this  point  and  am  satisfied  that  they 
knew  nothing  of  them,  nor  have  they  any  tra- 
dition that  the  people  who  did  build  them  were 
like  themselves  in  any  particular,  ]:)ut  believe 
whoever  they  were  that  they  were  exterminated 
by  a  conquering  foe  or  destroyed  by  a  pestilence. 
Nor  have  they  any  idea  of  their  origin  but  do 
believe  tliat  it  has  been  many  thousand  years 
since  their  race  began. 

The  race  or  tribe  from  which  Buffalo  decended 
were  Algonquins.  He  had  tradition  covering 
that  i)oint.  The  first  mention  I  can  find  of  this 
tribe  in  history  is  in  1615,  on  the  River  St.  Law- 
rence, and  no  Indian  could  ever  tell  me  any- 
tliing  of  tradition  that  I  could  make  out  to  be 
farther  back  than  that  date.  A  few  years  sub- 
sequent to  this  I  find  them  at  Sault  St.  Marie 
and  Father  Marquette  with  them  as  a  mission- 
ary, and  at  this  time  they  are  mentioned  as  the 
Northern  Algonquins,  from  which  I  infer  that 
more  of  the  same  tribe  were  further  south.  In 
1641,  according  to  "Sadlier,"  we  find  the  Jesuits 
among  the  Chippewas  at  Sault  St.  Marie, 
Fathers  Ryambault  and  Joques  in  charge, 
and  in  this  account  he  says:  "Father  Ryam- 
bault was  well  versed  in  the  Algonquin  customs 
and  language  and  Father  Joques  was  an  adept  in 


1 


EARLY    INDIAN    HISTORY.  149 

tilt)  Huron  tongue.  It  was  at  this  time  that  the 
Jesuites  first  heard  that  the  far-famed  Sioux 
dwelt  only  eighteen  days  further  west — warlike 
tribes  with  fixed  abodes — cultivators  of  maize 
and  tobacco  and  of  an  unknown  race  and  lan- 
guage." Again  Sadlier  says  :  "On  the  death  of 
Father  Joques  the  war  broke  out  anew,  the  fierce 
Iroquois  desolated  the  lands  of  the  Hurons, 
drove  the  northern  Algonquins  from  the  shores 
of  the  lakes  and  slew  the  French  and  their  allies 
under  the  very  walls  of  Quebec, "  and  again  he 
says  "  in  1656  a  projected  mission  to  Michigan 
was  frustrated  through  the  cruelty  of  some  pagan 
Iroquois.  Thither,  however,  in  1660,  at  the 
entreaty  of  the  Algonquins,  was  sent  Father 
Menard,  a  survivor  of  the  Huron  mission,  and 
the  companion  of  Joques  and  Breboruf  and  four 
years  thereafter  Father  Allonez  (Alway)  founded 
a  mission  at  the  further  extremity  of  Lake 
Superior,  and  in  1668  Father  Allonez  with 
Fathers  Marquette  and  Dablon  founded  the  mis- 
sion at  St.  Mary,  the  oldest  European  settlement 
within  the  present  limits  of  the  state  of  Michi- 
gan." The  same  authority  says  that  "in  1669 
Father  Allonez  founded  Green  Bay  and  that 
Father  Marquette  founded  Mackinaw  in  1671." 

These  are  the  last  accounts  I  find  of  the  Algon- 
quins from  whom  Buffalo  descended  and  it  must 
have  been  about  this  time  that  the  Algonquins 
were  merged  into  and  became  a  part  of  the  Chip- 
pewa people — about  230  years  ago. 

As  to  the  tradition  of  the  Indians  in  regard  to 
Mound  Builders  I  quote  from  Gerard  Fowke: 
"The  chroniclers  of  DeSoto's  expedition  mention 


150  EARLY    INDIAN   HISTORY. 

many  villages  of  the  Scrliellakees  (Cherokees)  in 
whieli  the  houses  stand  on  tlie  mounds  erected 
by  those  people  and  describe  the  method  of  their 
formation.  The  French  accounts  of  the  Natchez 
Indians  tell  us  that  the  king's  house  stood  on  a 
high  mound  with  tli^^  dwelling  of  the  chiefs  on 
smaller  mounds  about  it — when  a  king  died  his 
successor  did  not  occupy  the  house  of  the 
deceased  but  a  new  one  was  erected  on  which  he 
fixed  his  abode."  It  is  conceded  by  a  majority 
of  students  that  many,  if  not  most  of  the  earth- 
works of  w^estern  New  York  and  the  adjacent 
portions  of  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania  were  built 
by  tlie  Iroquois  and  allied  tribes.  Even  Squire 
admitted  this  tow^ards  the  last.  At  the  foot  of 
Torch  Lake  near  Traverse  Bay,  Michigan,  are 
two  mounds  which  an  old  Indian  told  me  were 
erected,  one  by  the  Chippewas  and  the  other  by 
the  Sioux  over  their  respective  warriors  slain  in 
a  fight  near  there,  about  a  century  back.  Near 
the  north  line  of  Ogemaw  County,  in  the  same 
state,  are  some  small  mounds  built  over  their 
dead  by  the  Indians,  who  lived  there  until  a 
few  years  since.  Some  lumbermen  opened  one 
of  them  some  years  ago  and  taking  t\vo  skeletons 
ran  a  pole  through  the  chest  of  each,  to  which 
they  fastened  the  bones  and  then  tied  them  to  a 
tree  with  a  piece  of  bread  between  the  teeth  of 
one  and  an  old  pipe  in  the  fleshless  jaws  of  the 
other.  The  Indians  soon  discovered  what  had 
been  done  and  hunted  several  days  for  the 
despoilers  of  their  kinsmen's  graves,  swearing  to 
take  their  lives  ifthey  should  find  them.  A  few 
other  mounds  in  this  section  of  country  are  said 


mtaaa 


KARLY    INDIAN   HISTORY.  151 

to  have  been  put  up  by  the  Sioux  and  the  Chip- 
pevvaB  and  one,  at  least,  by  the  Iroquois. 

Great  stress  is  laid  on  the  fact  that  in  the 
same  mound  may  be  found  "mica  from  North 
Carolina,  copi)er  from  Lake  Superior,  shells 
from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  obsidian  from  the 
Rocky  Mountains, "and  this  is  supposed  to  indi- 
cate, in  some  undefined  manner,  superior  pow- 
ers and  intelligence.  Cameron  says  the  Cliippe 
was  informed  him  they  formerly  carried  copper 
to  the  south  and  east  to  exchange  for  such  small 
articles  as  other  Indians  had  in  those  directions 
for  barter,  going  sometimes  as  far  as  the  coast  of 
Virginia.  On  inquiring  of  them  whether  the 
old  Chippewas,  that  is  those  of  previous  genera- 
tions, had  worked  the  ancient  mines,  he  was 
told  they  had  not.  That  the  mines  were  there 
before  the  Chippewas  came  into  the  country  and 
the  latter  obtained  their  supplies  by  gathering 
up  fragments  where  they  could  find  them,  or  by 
clipping  off  pieces  with  their  hatchets  from  nug- 
g  -  or  boulders  that  were  to  be  found  in  vari- 
ous places. 

Here  the  writer  of  this  work  will  give  a  few 
points  in  his  experience  in  Wisconsin  in  quite 
an  early  day.  I  came  to  Jefferson  County,  Wis., 
in  June,  1847,  with  my  father's  family  from 
Madison  County,  New  York,  a  lad  of  seven 
years  of  age,  and  vfell  I  remember  the  Indians 
of  that  time  in  that  part  of  the  country.  The 
tribe  were  Potawatomies,  and  the  name  of  their 
chief  was  Ke-was-kum.  They  were  peacable  and 
friendly  and  lived  at  this  time  on  the  eastern 
shore   of    Lake    Koshkonong.      Within   three 


,  1  ii 


152  EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 

dayB  after  our  settleiiieiit  on  the  farm  four  Indi- 
aiiB  came  to  the  house,  and  seeing  some  bread 
that  mother  had  ,j  ast  taken  from  the  oven,  gave 
father  signs  that  they  wanted  some.  He  gave 
them  a  loaf.  The  next  morning  before  the  sun 
was  up  the  family  were  awakened  by  a  rapping 
on  a  window — all  were  frightened  and  the  first 
thing  we  thought  of  was  bad  Indians.  Father 
went  out  and  found  two  Indians  with  a  pickerel 
on  a  pole  between  them  on  their  shoulders,  the 
tail  of  which  touched  the  ground.  They  .soon 
made  father  understand  that  the  fish  was  in 
payment  for  the  bread  he  had  given  them  the 
day  before,  and  their  manner  showed  that  they 
were  thankful  besides.  On  another  occasion  a 
few  years  later,  a  few  came  to  our  house  one  day 
in  autumn,  and  my  brother  and  self  gave  them 
some  watermelons  to  3at.  They  saw  the  patch 
from  which  we  got  them ;  that  it  Avas  large  and 
that  there  were  plenty  of  melons  there,  and 
made  father  understand  that  they  wanted  more, 
to  which  he  assented,  and  they  soon  went  away. 
The  next  day  about  noon  Ke-was-kum  and  about 
forty  of  his  people,  men,  women  and  children, 
with  twenty  ponies,  came  down  the  lane  and 
made  known  their  errand.  They  wanted  mel- 
ons. Father  motioned  them  ahead  and  the 
patch  was  soon  well  covered  with  Indians  and 
with  sacks  to  carry  on  their  ponies  like  s'^  Idle- 
bags,  made  of  rushes  woven  together  with  oark, 
they  were  soon  well  supplied,  having  as  many 
melons  as  their  sacks  would  hold,  and  they  had 
not  forgotten  to  bring  saddle-bags  for  each  pony. 
The  patch  was  stripped,  but  their  joy  over  their 


EARLY    INDIAN    HISTORY.  153 

good  luck  was  very  iiiucli  appreciated  by  us 
cliildreii,  and  ten  times  more  than  the  melons 
were  worth.  They  were  the  happiest  forty  peo- 
ple I  ever  saw  at  one  time.  It  was  only  a  few 
days  after  our  arrival  on  the  farm  that  I  heard 

a  man  say  to  my  father,  "You  ought  to  have 
been  here  about  a  month  earlier.  We  had  an 
Indian  execution  down  to  the  river."  He  then 
went  on  to  tell  how  it  was  done  and  what  it  was 
for.  It  seems  that  one  Indian  had  killed  another 
by  shooting  him  from  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river.  Court  martial  was  held  and  the  culprit 
sentenced,  on  ' '  the  eye  for  an  eye"  plan.  He 
was  sent  to  the  spot  where  his  victim  had  stood, 
and  at  a  signal  from  the  chief,  the  executioner, 
who  was  a  brother  of  the  deceased,  raised  his 
rifle  and  at  the  same  time,  said  the  relator,  the 
Indian  to  be  shot  lield  open  his  blanket  and  like 
a  martyr,  stood  and  took  the  shot  that  quickly 
sent  him  to  the  happy  hunting  grounds.  I  have 
many  times  been  upon  these  banks,  whicli  are 
about  one-half  a  mile  above  where  Rock  River 
enters  Lake  Koshkonong.  The  right  bank  of 
this  river  is  the  identical  place  where  Gen. 
Atkinson  cornered  Blackhawk  in  the  campaign 
against  him  and  from  where  he  escaped  in  the 
night,  not  to  be  again  overtaken  until  he  had 
reached  the  point  of  his  capture  near  x^rairie  du 
Chien.  This  is  Blackhawk  Island,  so-called, 
although  not  an  island,  but  a  peninsula  between 
the  river  and  a  set  back  of  the  lake  on  the  west 
and  called  "Stinker  Bay." 

On  both  side^  of  Lake  Koshkonong  are  many 


' 


^' 


'ill 


154  KAKLV    INDIAN    HISTORY. 

mounds  built  in  cliliereiit  shapes — two  I  remem- 
ber, one  turth;  shaped  and  one  representing  a 
man  lying  upon  the  ground  with  liis  arms  out- 
stretched. These  two  mounds  jire  on  the  east 
shore  of  the  lake  and  the  highest  portion  of 
them  not  more  than  fiv(^  feet  a])ove  the  level  of 
the  ground  around  them.  The  Indians  made  this 
lake  their  spring  and  autumn  home  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  after  I  knew  the  place  coming  reg- 
ularly in  the  fall  to  gather  wild  rice  which 
abounded  there.  I  have  seen  them  often  gath- 
ering this  rice  whicli  they  do  in  a  canoe,  one 
squaw  paddling  the  ])oat  and  moving  it  along 
as  desired  and  the  squaw  in  the  bow  bends  over 
the  plants  and  with  a  stick  whii)S  out  the  ker- 
nels into  the  canoe.  Many  have  tried  time  and 
again  to  get  from  the  Indians  some  knowledge 
by  tradition  of  the  mounds  surrounding  this 
lake,  but  as  far  as  1  ever  heard  in  the  twelve 
years  I  lived  there  it  never  could  be  done.  They 
claimed  to  know  nothing  about  them.  I  used 
to  think  they  did  and  w^ould  not  reveal  it,  but 
in  late  years  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
like  ourselves,  they  found  them  when  they  came 
and  know  no  moj  e  of  their  origin  than  we  do. 
On  the  banks  of  this  lake  in  1847  and  until  the 
plow  had  obliterated  were  plainly  to  be  seen  the 
corn  rows  and  hills  of  the  aborigines.  The 
Indians  of  whom  I  speak  did  not  till  the  soil. 
They  lived  on  meat,  wild  rice  and  fish.  I  have 
picked  many  arrow  heads  on  my  father's  farm 
at  and  near  a  little  lake  there  was  upon  it  and 
the  surroundings  in  that  part  of  the  country 


Hi 


RMW| 


I— ( 
C 

e 

I 


EARLY    INDIAN    HISTORY.  155 

plainly  show  that  for  iriany  years  it  had  been 
the  home  of  a  pre-historic  race." 

As  here  has  been  much  history  written  in 
regard  to  mounds  having  been  built  by  ancient 
Indians  and  some  by  more  modern  tribes,  I  wish 
to  add  the  knowh^dge  I  have  gained  by  associar 
tion  with  the  Cliippewa  tribe,  and  to  say  that 
during  my  long  experience  with  tliem  I  liave 
become  satisfied  that  neitlier  the  present  Chip- 
pewas  nor  their  predecessors  as  far  l)ack  as  their 
traflition  goes,  knew  anything  whatever  of  tlieir 
origin  or  how  they  came  to  exist.  I  know  tlieir 
mode  of  burial  for  many  years  back  and  if  it 
had  Ijeen  changed  from  any  other  mode  for  a 
number  of  generations,  1  should  have  found  it 
out.  They  liave  always  claimed  simply  to  know 
nothing  concerning  them.  They  did  not  use 
them  for  houses  or  luirial  places ;  never  wor- 
shiped them  or  in  any  manner  paid  any  more 
attention  to  them  than  they  did  to  any  other 
hill  or  mountain  around  them.  I  have  met 
many  people  who  think  the  Indians  know  all 
about  them,  but  by  reason  of  their  great  love 
for  their  dead,  and  fearing  the  gi'aves  would  be 
desecrated  if  they  should  divulge  the  secret, 
they  will  not  tell,  and  some  claim  or  effect  to 
believe  that  the  secrets  of  the  mounds  are 
religious  and  therefore  sacred. 


»» 


ill  i 


CHAPTER  X. 


Excitement  Among  the  Whites  and  Indians 
OF  Lake  Supekior. — Origin  of  the  FaIi-FaMed 
Ghost  Dance. — Was  a  Half  Crazy  j.lELiGid(js 
Teaching. 

I  will  now  relate  feonie  circumstances  wliicli 
connect  themselves,  in  an  indirect  way,  with 
the  interview  with  Grus.  Beaulieu,  printed  iii  the 
"Minneapolis  Journal"  of  Feb.  4th,  1891,  given 
in  a  previous  chapter. 

It  war,  in  the  spring  of  1878  I  think,  that  con- 
siderable excitement  was  caused  in  and  around 
Ashland,  Wisconsin,  over  a  report  in  circulation 
that  Indians  were  danoiiig  and  having  pow- 
wows further  west  and  were  working  their  way 
toward  the  reservations  in  this  part  of  the  coun- 
try. Settlers  came  to  me  at  different  times  to 
inquire  if  I  knew  or  could  tell  the  cause  of  it, 
kuejwing  that  i  was  familiar  with  the  language 
and  could  give  the  information  if  any  one  could. 
All  I  could  tell  them  was  that  I  had  heard  of 
something  of  the  kind  going  on  in  Minnesota 


jii 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 


157 


and  that  they  were  moving  toward  this  state. 
The  next  I  heard  of  them  they  were  within  one 
hundred  miles  of  Ashland ;  that  the  party  were 
performing  and  teaching  a  new  kiad  of  dance. 
I  resolved  to  meet  them  and  did  so  when  they 
were  about  twenty  mil^  from  Ashland,  at  a 
place  where  the  Court  O'Rielles  trail  crosses 
White  River.  When  I  arrived  they  were  pre- 
paring their  camp  for  the  night.  There  were 
between  sixty  and  seventy  in  the  party  which 
consisted  of  a  young  Sioux  girl  and  her  interpre- 
ter, the  balance  being  made  up  of  Chippewas 
from  this  immediate  vicinity.  Before  I  had  a 
chance  to  talk  with  a'ly  of  them  their  camp  was 
completed  and  the  dance  began,  which  I  watch- 
ed with  much  interest,  it  being  the  first  of  the 
kind  I  had  ever  seen  and  to  see  it  had  been  my 
object  in  meeting  them.  About  the  time  the 
dance  had  been  completed  I  got  an  opportunity 
to  talk  with  an  Indian  I  knew  and  he  pointed 
out  the  Sioux  girl  and  said  there  would  soon 
be  an  opportunity  for  me  to  talk  to  her.  As 
soon  as  the  ceremonies  were  ended  I  had  a  talk 
with  her,  through  her  interpreter,  who  was  a 
half-breed  Chippewa.  She  represented  herself 
to  be  of  the  Sioux  tribe  and  a  member  of  a  band 
of  the  tribe  that  were  massacred  by  Custer's 
aimy  on  the  Little  Big  Horn,  about  May,  1876, 
in  which  all  her  people  were  killed  except  her- 
self; that  she  saved  herself  by  jumping  into 
the  water  on  the  approach  of  the  soldiers  and 
hiding  herself  by  clinging  to  roots  and  bushes 
of  an  overhanging  tree  or  upturned  root  until 
the  slaughter  was  over  and  she  could  make  her 


'  < 


158  EARLY    INDIAN    HISTORY. 

escape  ;  that  she  was  in  the  water  about  twenty 
hours ;  that  she  reached  a  band  of  her  tribe  and 
told  them  the  story.  Whether  the  girl  was 
crazed  by  l^e  events  and  her  mind  shattered  by 
the  awful  trial  and  exposure  she  endured,  1  do 
not  know  but  she  sai^  that  spirits  had  told  her 
she  must  teach  a  new  dance  and  to  teach  it  to  all 
the  Indian  tribes  ;  that  she  had  taught  her  own 
tribes  and  had  come  to  this  reservation  to 
teach.  She  taught  that  the  Indians  must  put 
away  the  small  drum  they  had  always  used  and 
make  a  larger  one  and  stop  their  Avar  and  pipe 
dances  and  ])ractiee  only  the  one  she  was  teach- 
ing. She  said  the  small"  drum  was  no  longer 
large  enough  to  keep  away  the  bad  spirit  and 
the  larger  one  must  be  used  on  all  occasions. 
Her  nation,  the  Sioux,  she  said,  had  given  up  all 
other  dances  since  tiie  massacre  of  her  own  little 
band.  We  can  all  readily  imagine  under  those 
circumstances  and  the  excitement  of  those  times 
liow  readily  the  Sioux  took  to  this  new  dance. 
They  were  ready  to  accept  anything  of  a  spirit- 
ual nature  at  that  time  and  took  to  the  teach- 
ings of  this  girl  as  readily  as  they  would  to  a 
manifestation  from  the  sky.  Knowing  the  Indi- 
an dispostion  so  well  I  b:vav  how  quickly  they 
would  fly  to  this  new  ider^. 

All  Indians  believe  in  a  hereafter,  not  a  single 
infidel  was  ever  know^n  among  them,  and  t^^e 
sooner  they  get  to  the  happy  hunting  grounds 
the  better  it  will  suit  them.  With  these  ideas 
they  prepared  for  war.  The  recent  slaughter  of 
all  the  people  'in  that  village  led  them  to  believe 
that  the  white  soldiers  intended  to  exterminate 


'■     Sl.  f 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY.  159^ 

them  as  soon  as  possible,  and  tliey  were  in  daily 
expectation  of  another  raid,  and  were  well  pre- 
pared for  their  coming  so  that  when  Custer's 
command  came  in  their  sight  and  went  into 
camp  they  watched  their  every  move,  and  when 
their  pickets  were  thrown  out  tlie  Indians  fell 
back  enougli  to  allow  them  to  post,  and  when  it 
was  dark  they  crawled  upon  the  pickets  and 
soon  dispatched  them  with  clnbs  and  hatchets 
and  then  proceeded  to  the  camp  where  the  main 
body  of  Custer's  men  were  and  put  them  to 
their  final  sleep.  This  I  give  as  it  was  related 
to  me  by  a  mixed  blood  of  the  Sioux  own  peo- 
ple. From  the  date  the  girl  gave  in  telling  of  the 
slaughter  of  her  band  and  until  the  massacre 
of  Custer  the  SiOux  had  been  gathering  all 
small  parties  together  and  in  one  army  awaited 
and  expected  another  attack  from  the  white  sol- 
diers and  when  Custer's  command  came  within 
their  reach  they  were  well  organized,  and,  as  my 
informant  told  me,  had  a  great  many  warriors. 

I  have  met  from  time  to  time  since  the  Custer 
horror  a  number  of  persons  who  at  that  time 
lived  among  the  Sioux,  some  of  whom  were 
white  men  whom  I  always  believed  were  rene- 
grade  confederates  of  the  rebellion  that  went 
there  for  the  purpose  of  stirring  up  strife  if  they 
could.  One  Ulan  in  particular,  whose  name  I  did 
not  learn,  but  was  a  soutliern  man,  which  I  could 
readily  detect  by  his  speech,  corroborated  in 
every  particular  the  manner  in  which  the  Cus- 
ter command  were  annihilated  as  related  to  me 
by  the  eye  ^\dtness. 

The  girl  who  represented  herself  to  me  as  the 


160  EARLY  INDIAN  HISTORY. 

.  sole  survivor  of  that  village  massacre,  remained 
here  among  the  Chippewas  some  days  and  the 
^  last  I  heard  of  her  she  was  going  further  west 
among  the  Crow  and  other  tribes,  teaching  as 
she  claimed,  by  the  advice  and  direction  of 
spirits,  what  is  now  known  as  the  "ghost 
dance. " 


vm 


CHAPTER  XL 


SouscE  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI. —  It  Arises  From 
Thousands  of  Crystal-Like  Springs. — The 
Indians  of  that  Country  in  1842. — The  Indian 
AND  the  Moose. 

During  the  winter  of  1841,  an  nncle  of  mine, 
who  was  then  a  resident  of  St.  Louis,  made  a 
proposition  to  start  me  in  the  trading  iDusiness, 
provided  I  could  locate  a  place  outside  of  the 
Hudson  Bay  and  American  Fur  Company's  ter- 
ritory, to  which  there  would  be  some  means  of 
getting  supplies  to,  and  also  of  shipping  furs 
from,  and  for  this  purpose  I  made  a  trip  up  the 
Mississippi.  I  picked  two  of  the  best  guides  I 
could  find  to  accompany  me  during  the  trip. 

Our  little  party,  which  consisted  solely  of  my- 
self and  guides  left  Focagamah  Lake,  Minn., 
about  the  first  of  May  in  the  spring  of  1841, 
taking  very  little  pro\  isions  of  any  kind.  When 
we  started  we  only  had  enough  to  last  two  or 
three  days,  with  the  exception  of  salt,  and  per- 
per,  which  I  took  for  my  own  meats  and  had  a 


162  EARLY   INDIAN  HISTORY. 

sufficient  quantity  for  the  trip.  We  depended 
wholly  on  our  guns,  with  which  I  had  provided 
the  Indians,  they  carrying  shot  guns  and  my- 
self a  rifle,  each  carrying  his  own  ammunition, 
of  which  we  had  plenty.  We  were  continually 
on  the  look-out  for  game,  for  we  were  careful 
to  keep  our  larder  supplied  with  at  least  one 
day's  provisions,  which  was  an  easy  matter  as 
game  was  plentiful  and  one  need  go  but  a  short 
distance  for  want  of  a  shot  at  a  deer  or  any 
smaller  game,  while  traces  of  the  elk,  moose, 
carriboo  and  bear  were  frequently  met  with. 

The  route  we  traversed  going  up  I  cannot 
describe,  there  being  no  surveys  of  any  kind, 
but  we  went  up  on  the  east  side  of  the  Missis- 
sippi the  whole  distance  only  seeing  the  river 
twice  on  the  trip,  keeping  into  the  woods  for 
several  miles,  my  guides  telling  me  it  was  far 
the  best  part  of  the  country  to  travel  through 
to  avoid  lakes,  rivers,  marshes,  etc. ,  which  we 
would  otherwise  be  obliged  to  cross.  The 
whole  country  was  then  inhabited  by  Indians, 
whom  we  met  frequently  on-  the  route,  who 
were  then  dressed  in  their  native  ways. 

The  guides  I  took  from  Pocagemali  Lake  led 
m.  somewhat  astray,  taking  me  considerably  to 
the  northeast  of  my  destination,  and  we  arrived 
at  the  Lake  of  the  Woods  about  twenty-eight 
days  after  starting.  Here  we  found  that  we 
were  out  of  our  course  and  not,  as  I  supposed, 
anywhere  near  the  Mississippi.  At  this  infor- 
mation I  determined  to  procure  a  new  guide, 
,  which  I  did,  w^ho  went  through  with  me  to  Lake 
,  Itasca,  and  told  me  that  this  was  as  far  upas^ 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY.  163 

any  white  man  had  ever  been.  This  guide  was 
a  man  about  thirty-five  or  forty  years  of  age, 
and  was  born  and  brought  up  between  Lake  of 
the  Woods  and  the  head  of  the  Mississippi,  and 
had  trapped  and  hunted  over  the  entire 
country. 

Just  before  arriving  at  Lake  Itasca  we  came 
upon  an  Indian  camp,  of  five  or  six  lodges  or 
families,  and  stopped  there  with  them  over 
night.  Here  I  found  another  Indian  pretty 
well  along  in  years,  who  must  have  been  up- 
wards of  fifty,  and  who  was  more  familiar  with 
the  country  around  the  head  of  the  Mississippi 
than  the  former  guide  claimed  to  be.  In  listen- 
ing to  the  conversation  in  the  lodges  that  night, 
between  the  guide  who  brought  me  through 
from  Lake  of  the  Woods  and  our  host,  who  was 
the  old  gentleman  spoken  of  before,  I  found 
him  giving  my  former  guide  many  directions, 
and  concluded  he  was  thoroughly  acquainted 
with  the  country.  He  described  a  river  as  com- 
ing into  and  another  small  lake  just  above 
Itasca,  the  source  of  which  was  the  dividing 
ridge  between  the  waters  flowing  east  and  west, 
the  outcome  of  which  was  that  I  employed  the 
old  man  to  go  along  with  me,  and  also  to  fur- 
nish a  canoe,  leaving  the  first  two  guides  be- 
hind to  remain  and  hunt  for  the  folks  in  camp 
till  we  should  have  returned. 

Soon  after  leaving  camp  with  the  old  gentle- 
man he  told  me  he  could  take  me  to  the  head 
waters  of  the  Mississippi  if  I  cared  to  go  there. 
This  was  not  my  object  in  making  the  trip,  but 
when  I  found  it  would  be  impracticable  to  start 


I 


i    'I' 


164  EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 

a  trading  post,  there  being  no  means  of  trans- 
portation, I  determined  to  get  acquainted  with 
the  whole  country,  hence  my  visit  to  the  head 
waters  of  the  Mississippi. 

After  exploring  the  river  thoroughly  as  we 
proceeded  up  stream,  which  took  considerable 
time,  we  at  last  launched  our  canoes  on  the 
waters  of  Lake  Itasca,  which  had  for  more  than 
a  century  been  considered  the  head  waters  of 
the  Mississippi  River.  The  Indians  from  that 
country  disputed  the  long  standing  supposition 
that  Itasca  was  its  head  waters,  and  said  that 
there  was  another  lake  and  another  stream 
farther  up,  the  stream  being  fed  entirely  by 
springs,  of  crystal-like  appearance,  and  that 
they  were  positive  that  the  stream  at  the  head 
of  this  little  lake  was  the  head  waters  of  the 
Mississippi,  to  confirm  which  I  explored  the 
whole  country  thoroughly.  After  goiiig 
through  Lake  Itasca  we  Avere  compelled  to 
abandon  our  canoes,  and  proceed  on  foot.  This 
w^e  were  obliged  to  do,  the  stream  being  so  filled 
up  with  drift-wood  as  to  make  it  slow  work  to 
get  a  canoe  ahead.  In  going  up  this  stream  we 
made  it  a  point  to  explore  on  both  sides.  The 
distance  traveled  after  leaving  Lake  Itasca  I 
cannot  give  accurately,  it  being  so  long  ago, 
but  it  must  have  been  considerable,  it  having 
occupied  quite  a  time,  and  can  only  estimate  it. 
It  was  probably  between  twenty  and  twenty- 
five  miles. 

•  Just  after  leaving  Lake  Itasca  we  came  to  a 
widening  of  the  river  which  my  guide  told  me 
was  sometimes  called  a  lake.       This  was  not 


EAKLY    INDIAN   HISTORY.  '        165 

more  than  three  or  four  miles  above  Itasca. 
About  twenty  miles  beyond  this  we  beheld  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  little  lakes  in  the  whole 
country,  it  being  suirounded  by  hundreds  of 
small  springs,  in  fact  it  is  almost  entirely  fed  by 
springs,  having  a  stream  at  the  furtlier  end 
which  has  its  source  in  these  crystal-like  springs. 
Some  of  these  springs  are  up  far  on  the  sides  of 
the  divide  or  yidge.  These  lay  at  the  foot  of  an 
immense  hill,  the  highest,  it  appeared  of  any  on 
the  whole  ridge,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  see. 
We  ascended  this  hill,  and  from  its  summit 
could  view  the  surrounding  country  for  many 
miles.  After  reaching  the  summit  of  this  lull, 
the  Indian  with  me  from  that  part  of  the  coun- 
try told  me  we  had  reached  the  head  waters  of 
the  Mississippi,  where  no  white  man  had  been 
to  his  knowledge  and  since  that  time  I  cannot 
content  myself  W'ith  history  which  makes 
Itasca  the  source  of  the  Mississippi.  From  the 
summit  of  this  hill  the  land  couid  be  seen  drop- 
ping off  to  the  east  and  south,  but  seemed  to  be 
low^est  lying  south,  and  from  the  fact  that  this 
stream  had  its  sourse  in  these  crystal-like 
springs  at  the  foot  of  and  up  the  sides  of  the 
hill,  I  concluded  that  the  Indians  were  right  in 
saying  that  this  was  the  true  source  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi. All  of  these  small  lakes  were  filled 
with  the  finest  speckled  trout  I  ever  had  the 
good  fortune  to  see. 

From  the  top  of  "the  hill  to  wdiich  the  Indians 
took  me  at  the  head  of  the  small  stream  which 
runs  into  this  little  lake  above  Itasca,  the  sight 


. : 


i'  iii 


llii'l  i 
,!  I. 


I 


11 


166  EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 

was  the  most  grand  of  anything  I  ever  wit 

nessed.      The    surface    of    the    earth    seemed 

descending  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  and  the 

landscape  was  beautiful. 

For  some  time  afterward  I  intended  making 

another  visit  there  for  the  purpose  of  taking 
notes  and  getting  maps  to  present  to  my  uncle 
for  writing  it  up,  but  before  another  opportun- 
ity offered  my  uncle  died  and  I  was  blinded  and 
the  trip  I  had  intended  for  the  interest  of 
myself  and  others  had  to  be  abandoned. 

This  trip  to  a  country  where  moose  were  then 
plentiful  brings  to  mind  a  short  story  of  the 
attempted  capture  of  one  of  these  animals  on 
Chequamegon  Bay. 

Quite  early  in  the  forties,  I  think  it  was  in 
'43,  there  lived  on  the  banks  of  Fisli  Creek,  a 
small  stream  which  empties  into  the  head  of 
Chequamegon  Bay,  near  the  present  city  of 
Ashland,  Wis.,  an  Indian  lamed  Da-cose  and 
his  wife.  They  were  childless  and  lived  apart 
from  the  Chippewa  tribe,  to  which  he  belonged, 
by  reason  of  his  eccentric  nature.  He  was  a 
lazy,  indolent  and  selfish  man  and  at  Fish  Creek 
game  was  plentiful  and  a  greater  quantity  and 
a  greater  variety  could  be  more  easily  obtained 
than  in  any  other  section  of  country  that  he 
knew  of. 

In  case  of  an  invasion  by  the  warlike  Sioux 
he  would  temporarily  move  his  abode  and  join 
the  tribe  and  would  remain  among  them  until 
the  battle  had  been  fought  or  the  scare  was  over 
when  he  would  invariably  return  to  Fish  Creek 


miL^ieamaBiiiM 


EARLY    INDIAN   HISTORY.  '        167 

which  for  many  yearn  had  been  their  permanent 
home. 

I  knew  thin  family  very  well.     The  old  man 
was  lazy  and  improvident  throughout  hia  whole 
diypoyitioii  and  was  oiivi  of  that  ckiHH  of  people 
whom  we   often  meet  that   neem  to  think  the 
world  oweB  them  a  living  whether  they  ntrive 
for  it  or  not.     Hiw  wife,  on  the  contrary,  was  of 
directly  the  opposite  nature.      8he  was  a  hard 
worker,   always    1)Ui-iy  and  industrious.       She 
tended  the  fish  nets,  set  and  attended  the  snares 
and  traps  for  larger  game  and  fur  bearing  ani' 
mals,  and  in  fact  was  a  whole  family  in  herself, 
and  as  is  the  nature  of  such  peoi)le  slie  often  com- 
plained to  the  old  man  of  his  selfish  nature  and 
reminded  him  that  only  for  her  care  and  watch- 
fulness for  their  welfare  they  would  have  noth- 
ing to  eat  or  wear,  and  as  the  old  man  believed 
his  ways  were  right  and  that  it  was  folly  and 
useless  to  fret  about  the  future,   and  from  the 
fact  that  a  wife  among  the  Indians  was  only 
expected  to  be  seen  and  not  heard,  he  never 
took  kindly    to  her  advisory  way  of  making 
remarks  to  him  and  these  differences  in  their 
general  makeup  led  frequently  to  hot  Avords  and 
petty  quarrels,  tliough  I  never  knew  that  the 
old  man  ever  allowed  himself  to  chastise  his 
wife  for  her  interference  with  his  superior  posi- 
tion in  the  family,  but  it  was  an  almost  daily 
occurrence  for  him  to  chide  her  for  her  fretful- 
ness  and  to  him  her  uncongenial  disposition. 
He  was  always  satisfied  with  his  lot  and  what 
they  had  to  eat,  be  it  little  or  much,  and  as  a 
matter  of  course  thought  she  ought  to  be.     He 


^t^^^-  .o. 


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^ 


168  EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 

would  shoot  what  ducks,  geese  and  other  gam 
came  handy  or  providentially  his  way  and  true 
to  luck  or  the  old  lady  to  do  the  rest. 

One  morning  as  the  old  lady  \7as  passing  on 
of  the  creek  to  her  nets  she  espied  a  moos 
plunging  into  the  water  from  the  southeag 
shore  of  of  the  bay,  closely  followed  by  a  pac^ 
of  wolves  and  she  knew  the  moose  had  onl 
one  way  of  escape  from  his  howling  pursuf^'^ 
which  was  to  swim  to  the  opposite  shore,  so.: 
three  miles  away,  as  he  could  not  land  in  th 
swampy  ground  around  Fish  Creek.  The  poii 
where  he  entered  the  water  was  not  far  froi 
the  present  location  of  the  Keystone  Lumbt 
Company's  saw  mill.  As  she  would  have  plent 
of  time  she  hastened  back  to  the  lodge  t 
inform  her  liege-lord  of  the  circumstances  an 
request  that  he  make  ready  and  accompany  h6 
and  assist  in  capturing  the  moose  while  he  w? 
yet  in  deep  water  and  unable  to  defend  himse 
against  their  attack  from  the  canoe,  and  sli 
quite  forcibly  insisted  that  he  waste  no  time  i 
making  his  preparations  to  start  and  remarkec 
'  'If  you  move  as  slow  as  you  generally  do  tl 
moose  will  be  across  the  bay  before  we  get  read 
to  go." 

This  ruffled  the  old  man's  equipoise  somewlu 
and  he  retorted:  "There  it  is  again!  Alwa^ 
fretting  abo\3t  something.  How  many  times 
have  told  you  to  take  matters  easy.  Don't  yo 
see  that  uoose  is  coming  our  way,  as  things  gei 
erally  do?" 

She  said  something  about  his  enterprise,  ha 
ing  had  little  to  do  with  the  discovery  of  M 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY.  169 

Moose  but  desisted  from  further  relieving  her 
mind  on  this  point  with  true  womanly  tact, 
knowing  that  the  old  man  would  rather  argue 
than  go  after  the  moose.  He  made  inquiries  of 
the  old  lady  as  to  the  size  of  the  moose  and 
whether  in  her  opinion  he  wa  in  good  condi- 
tion and  the  probable  chances  of  her  being  able 
to  overtake  him,  until  she  became  too  vexed  to 
make  further  replies.  This  he  took  to  be  a  cool- 
ing down  of  her  irritable  temper,  and  he  fol- 
lowed along  to  the  bank  of  the  creek  and 
actually  only  stopped  once  on  the  way,  and  that 
was  to  sharpen  his  knife  on  his  gun  barrel 
remarking  to  the  old  lady  as  he  did  so:  ''It 
takes  a  sharp  knife  to  skin  a  moose. "  But  as 
he  was  about  to  step  into  the  canoe  he  stopped 
and  shouted  "Te-wah!  I  have  forgot  my  pipe," 
and  back  to  the  wigwam  he  goes  for  it. 

The  old  woman's  patience  was  about  as  nearly 
exhausted  now  as  it  well  could  be,  she  paced  up 
and  down  the  creek  in  a  rage  and  her  Indian 
vocabulary  had  about  ran  out  when  the  old 
chap  returned  and  seating  himself  in  the  bow  of 
the  boat  with  his  little  flintlock  shot  gun,  which 
was  his  main  dependence  on  this  trip,  he  says 
"I  am  ready,"  but  refused  to  take  up  his  pad- 
dle and  assist  the  old  lady  in  moving  the  boat 
saying:  "You  paddle  along,  I  want  to  talk  to 
you.  I  know  you  can  catch  that  moose  before 
he  can  get  half  way  across  the  bay  and  I  want 
to  tell  you  what  you  have  got  to  do. " 

The  old  woman  retorted:     "Take  up  your 


!  I 


111 ' 


I  Pi 


m 

lili 


170  EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 

paddle  and  help  me,  there  will  be  plenty  of  tin 
to  talk  after  we  have  got  the  moose. " 

But  the  old  man  could  not  see  that  his  du 
ran  in  that  direction  and  just  then  catching 
glimpse  of  the  moose  he  says:     "I  will  now  ta] 

a  smoke  for  after  we  have  got  that  meat  to  ta] 
care  of  there  will  be  plenty  of  work  to  do  ai 
no  time  to  smoke,"  and  he  deliberately  tak 
his  pipe  from  his  kinnikinic  sack  and  with  1: 
flint,  steel  and  punk  he  starts  a  light  and  begj 
to  smoke. 

The  moose  was  now  quite  well  along  over  t] 
distance  he  had  to  swim  and  the  old  lady  w 
and  had  been  from  the  start  using  her  padd 
as  for  dear  life  and  was  fearful  that  she  wou 
not  be  able  to  overtake  him  before  he  shou 
reach  low  water  and  again  tries  to  induce  tJ 
old  man  to  take  his  paddle  and  help  her, 
which  the  old  hero  replied:  "I  will  now  t( 
you  what  I  started  to  awhile  ago  and  then 
will  help  you  paddle.  You  see,  as  soon  as  'y 
get  this  meat,  your  relations  will  come  and  wa 
some  of  it,  but  don't  you  give  them  a  particl 
We  will  carefully  cut  all  the  meat  from  t" 
bones  and  dry  it  and  lay  it  away.  It  will  la 
you  and  me  a  long  time  and  when  your  frien 
come  you  may  make  soup  from  the  bones  ai 
that  is  good  enough  for  them.  Of  course  I  w 
be  there  and  be  busy  telling  them  what  a  ha 
time  we  had  in  getting  the  moose  and  how  a 
got  it  to  shore  and  will  show  them  the  mocc 
pins  we  will  make  from  the  hide,  which  we  w 
ornament  so  nicely  with   porcupine  quills. 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY.  ,  l7l 

•will  manap^e  to  keep  uiem  busy  and  you  be  sure 
and  not  give  them  a  bit  of  that  meat. " 

The  old  woman  had  now  given  up  all  hopes  of 
getting  any  help  from  the  old  man's  paddle  and 
she  kept  brushing  away  satisfied  that  she  could 
overtake  him  without  help,  for  the  moose  was 
getting  tired  as  well  as  herself.  The  old  man 
now  faced  about  and  saw  the  moose  but  a  little 
ways  off  and  shouted:  "Bo-zhoo!  moose,  you  are 
always  afraid  of  an  Indian.  Don't  hurry,  we 
want  to  get  acquainted  with  you." 

In  a  few  moments  more  the  canoe  was  along 
side  of  the  moose  and  the  old  lady  said;  "Take 
your  knife  and  cut  his  hamstrings  and  cut  his 
throat,  too,  he  may  f^et  away  yet. " 

"Yes,"  the  old  man  said,  "there  it  is  again, 
always  in  a  hurry.  Lay  down  your  paddle  and 
rest.  I  will  take  hold  of  the  moose  and  he  will 
pull  us  along,"  and  laying  down  his  pipe  he 
took  hold  of  the  moose,  and  patting  him  on  the 
back  says:  "How  nice  and  fat  you  are.  I  say, 
old  woman,  what  nice  eating  he  will  be." 

The  old  girl  now  made  a  rush  for  the  knife 
to  disable  the  animal,  but  the  old  warrior 
fought  her  away,  saying;  "Don't  be  in  so  much 
of  a  hurry.  Give  the  poor  fellow  all  the  time  to 
live  you  can.  His  meat  will  soon  be  boiling  in 
the  pot."  But  the  old  woman''  fever  was  not 
going  down  a  bit.  She  saw  they  were  nearing 
the  shore  and  knew  the  sand  bars  could  not  be 
far  away  and  she  again  entreated  the  old  man 
to  kill  the  animal.  She  took  the  pole  that  she 
always  carried  in  the  canoe  for  use  in  shoal  wa- 
ter and  sounded  and  found  she  could  touch  bot- 


172  EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 

torn  with  it,  and  with  a  shriek  of  despair  she 
shouted,  '  'Be  quick  or  he  will  get  away. "  Just 
then  the  moose  caught  his  hind  feet  on  a  sand 
bar  and  darted  ahead  and  broke  the  old  man's 
hold  on  him.  The  old  lady  made  the  best  use 
of  the  pole  and  kept  as  well  up  to  the  animal  as 
she  could,  and  the  old  man  really  began  to  real- 
ize that  something  must  be  done  pretty  soon, 
and  raising  to  his  feet  brought  his  gun  to  his 
shoulder  to  shoot,  bi:.^  snap  went  the  old  flint- 
lock again  and  again.  The  moose  could  now 
use  all  four  of  his  feet,  np  the  water  was  getting 
shallow.  The  old  woman  was  doing  her  best, 
but  the  moose  was  gaining  on  her.  Snap  and 
snap  again  went  the  gun,  and  the  old  girl  saw 
that  the  jig  was  up.  Her  anger  had  reached  its 
bounds,  and  reversing  the  pole  she  set  it  firmly 
on  the  bottom  of  the  bay  ahead  of  her  and 
shouted,  "Mar-chi-an-eim" — which  means  (the 
'  'old  devil's  dog"  and  was  the  only  word  used 
among  the  Indians  as  a  substitute  for  stronger 
language  until  the  appearance  of  the  white  man 
among  them.)  The  canoe  paused  and  Mr.  Indian 
and  his  flint-lock  went  headlong  into  Urn  bay. 
The  old  woman  turned  her  canoe  around  and 
paddled  homeward,  leaving  the  old  man  to  get 
out  of  the  water  as  best  he  could  and  foot  it 
around  the  head  of  the  bay  home,  a  distance  of 
at  least  two  miles. 

I  hailed  the  old  woman  from  the  shore,  a 
short  distance  from  the  mouth  of  Fish  Creek, 
where  I  had  been  standing  during  the  chase, 
and  she  took  me  in  the  canoe  and  paddled  me 
around  to  their  wigwam,   there  relating   the 


o 

O 
O 

CO 

W 


O 

o 

H 

o 


'!* 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY.  173 

whole  story  to  me.  I  did  not  wait  to  hear  the 
friendly  chat  between  the  couple  on  the  old 
nian'H  return,  but  started  on  iny  journey  into 
the  woodp.  On  iny  return  I  made  it  a  point  to 
reach  the  lodge  i  ii  the  eveniixg  and  stay  over 
night  with  them,  and  laughed  and  joked  with 
the  old  lady  and  gentleman  over  the  mishap  of 
the  day. 


^ 


CHAPTER  XII. 


Two  Languages  Among  the  Indians. — Their 
Religious  Beliefs. — A  Secret  Order  Similar 
TO  Those  of  the  Civilized  World. — The 
' 'Happy  Hunting  Grounds. "—The  Mysterious 
River. 

During  my  early  associations  with  tlie  Indians 
I  discovered  that  at  times  when  the  head  men 
and  chiefs  were  congregated  and  discussing 
some  private  subjects  they  used  a  language  that 
I  could  not  understand,  and  I  inquired  of 
others  what  they  were  saying,  who,  like  my- 
self, could  not  understand  them,  and  all  the  re- 
ply I  could  get  from  such  people  was:  "That  is 
Chief  talk." 

From  that  time  forward  I  interested  myself 
in  the  matter  and  persevered  until  Buffalo  told 
me  there  were  many  secrets  in  the  Indian  na- 
tion known  only  to  the  initiated,  and  that  it 
was  connected  with  their  religious  belief. '  I 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY.  175 

continued  to  persevere  and  interceded  with 
Buffalo  until  finally  he  told  me  he  would  take 
my  case  before  the  council  and  it  was  possible 
that  I  might  be  allowed  to  receive  a  part  of  the 
secrets,  but  said  no  white  man  had  ever  been 
admitted  that  he  knew  of  and  thought  my  case 
a  hopeless  one.  This  was  after  I  had  been 
adopted  as  the  son  of  Chief  Buffalo,  and  through 
his  intercession  I  was  at  last  admitted  to  the  or- 
der, and  what  I  have  seen  of  the  world  leads  me 
to  think  it  resembles  very  much  the  secret  orders 
of  white  men,  and  I  claim  that  it  is  impossible 
for  any  one  not  a  member  to  be  able  to  give 
any  sign  correctly,  though  some  may  claim  their 
ability  to  do  so.  In  many  cases  applicants  are  ad- 
mi4;ted,  but  few  get  through.  I  also  claim  to  be 
the  only  white  man  on  earth  that  ever  gained 
that  distinction.  This  may  seem  the  argument 
of  a  braggadocio,  but  I  will  give  any  man  in  the 
world  all  the  opportunity  he  may  desire  of  show- 
ing me  any  knowledge  or  the  ceremonies  and 
signs  belonging  to  the  order  and  if  he  is  able  to 
show  it  aright  1  will  publicly  admit  that  he  is 
possessed  of  the  knowlege  that  I  claim  belongs 
only  to  myself  among  the  white  race. 

There  is  much  that  I  could  say  upon  this  sub- 
ject that  would  be  interesting  reading,  but  to 
say  much  more  would  be  the  commencement  of 
an  exposition  which  under  no  circumstances 
would  I  divulge.  The  oaths  and  pledges  that  I 
gave  in  gaining  entrance  to  and  elevation  in  the 
order  were  made  in  the  presence  of  Almighty 
<Tod  and  are  as  sacred  to  me  as  though  they  had 
been  made  in  any  temple  of  the  Most  High,  and 


176  EARLY   INDIA  .'i   HISTORY. 

there  can  be  no  order  in  existence  where  any 
member  could  feel  the  weight  of  his  obligations 
more  keenly  or  absolutely  than  I  do.  There  are 
some  things  that  were  secrets  in  the  order  that 
I  may  mention.  For  instance,  show  me  a  wig- 
wam that  has  been  built  by  direction  of  a  jhief 
who  was  a  member  of  this  cider  or  an  old  frame- 
work of  one,  and  I  will  tell  you  the  number  of 
the  party  that  inhabited  it,  the  number  of  males 
and  the  number  of  females,  the  direction  from 
which  they  came  and  the  direction  they  had 
taken  on  their  departure.  This  was  done  for 
the  information  of  those  who  might  follow  orto^ 
assist  the  chief  in  hunting  up  his  people  in  case' 
he  needed  them  in  council  or  to  repel  an  inva- 
sion, and  lii&  posted  men  who  were  follow  ng  up 
the  roving  portion  of  his  people  could  quickly 
tell  if  any  were  missing — and  whether  male  or 
female — from  a  previous  count. 

Old,  very  old  tradition  with  the  Indians  is 
thai  all  are  created  equal — that  the  earth  is 
given  them  for  a  temporary  purt)ose  and  that 
they  are  to  have  the  use  of  all  they  see,  but  are 
not  to  dig  or  delve  into  the  Great  Spirit's  treas- 
ures that  lie  hidden  in  the  earth,  except  for 
such  as  are  absolutely  necessary  for  their  exist- 
ence and  comfort.  They  had  a  belief  that  there 
could  not  or  should  not  be  such  a  thing  as  indi- 
vidual or  tribal  ownership  of  lands  or  to  search 
in  the  Great  Spirit's  possessions  to  find  what  He 
had  hidden  there  for  his  own  use  and  benefit. 
That  to  search  for  such  hidden  treasures  would 
provoke  the  Great  Spirit  and  greatly  jeopardize 
their  chances  of  ever  reaching  the  "happy  hunt- 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY.  177 

ing  grounds,''  and  when  the  white  men  came 
among  them  to  make  treaties  they  had  no 
idea  that  the  whites  thought  for  a  mo- 
ment that  Indians  o"aied  the  lands  or  their 
hidden  treasures,  but  supposed  they  looked  upon 
their  occupancy  of  the  earth  the  same  as  the  In- 
dians did — which  was  tenants  at  will,  of  the  Al- 
mighty. You  therefore  see  that  the  theory  that 
the  ancient  Indians  worked  the  mines  of  the 
country  for  profit  must  be  abandoned. 

The  Indians,  as  shown  by  tradition,  did  and 
still  do  believe  that  the  "happy  hunting 
grounds"  lie  just  beyond  a  mighty  and  beautiful 
river,  over  which  they  cross  almost  immediately 
aft<^  c.eath,  provided  their  whole  life  here  had 
been  such  as  to  entitle  them  to  pass  without  a 
probation  on  the  banks  on  this  side,  and  those 
who  had  lived  a  life  beyond  redemption  were 
washed  away  in  this  mighty  river,  while  those 
whose  lives  had  not  been  perfect  were  held  to 
await  the  final  judgment.  They  also  believed 
that  the  conduct  of  the  friends  they  had  left  be- 
hind had  much  to  do  with  a  favorable  or  unfa- 
vorable decision  of  their  case  at  the  river.  An- 
other firm  belief  they  had  was  that  should  one 
of  their  number,  who  was  at  the  river  awaiting 
judgment,  attempt  to  evade  that  judgment  by 
crossing  the  river  before  the  sentence,  he  would 
be  washed  away  and  that  would  be  his  eternal 
ending.  This  latter  belief  is  in  accordance  with 
Indian  belief  from  first  to  last,  to  never  attempt 
to  evade  a  duty,  however  slight  or  great,  but, 
like  a  man,  stand  to  the  right  thing  and  fear 
not.     In  this  they  believed  that  no  matter  how 


178 


EAKLY  INDIAN  HISTORY. 


L 


upright  a.  man  had  been  through  his  whole  life, 
if  after  death  he  should  seek  to  evade  the  judg- 
ment, his  entire  future  was  lost.  When  once 
across  the  river  he  was  beyond  all  tribulations 
and  in  a  land  of  perpetual  sunshine  and  with 

all  friends  that  had  gone  before  him. 

Now  to  show  the  attention  thej  paid  to  the 
graves  of  their  dead  and  the  constancy  of  their 
remembrance  of  their  deceased  friends,  which, 
in  their  belief,  was  necessary  to  a  favorable  con- 
sideration of  their  friend's  case  at  the  river, 
they  would  divide  whatever  they  were  possessed 
of  and  place  a  portion  of  it  in  the  graves  of  the 
deceased  and  keep  up  offerings  thereafter  of 
food,  which  they  laid  at  the  graves,  until  such 
time  as  they  felt  that  their  sacrifices  had  re- 
sulted in  a  favorable  decision  of  their  friend's 
case  at  the  river.  The  period  of  time  this  sacrifice 
would  be  kept  up  depended  on  the  collective 
opinions  of  the  friends  that  were  left  behind  as 
to  the  probable  time  it  would  take  to  com- 
pass a  favorable  decision,  and  if,  in  the 
opinion  of  the  friends  of  the  dead,  he  would  not 
promptly  pass  the  final  tribunal,  the  cermony 
would  be  kept  up  at  the  grave  indefinitely  with 
the  firm  belief  that  at  last  this  intercession 
would  avail  and  result  in  the  passage  of  their 
friend  to  the  "happy  hunting  grounds,"  where 
their  forefathers  were. 

It  is  a  universal  practice  with  the  Chippewas  to 
sit  with  a  sick  person  incessantly  till  the  breath 
had  left  the  body,  keeping  up  a  constantly  beat- 
ing on  a  drum  to  keep  the  bad  spirit  away  and 


EARLY  INDIAN  HISTORY.  179 

to  let  the  spirit  of  the  dying  go  in  peace  and  in 
the  possession  of  the  good  spirit.  This  practice 
has  always  been  condemned  by  the  missionaries 
and  teachers  as  being  the  Me-de-wa  religion,  the 
real  meaning  of  which  neither  missionaries  or 
teachers  ever  understood.  The  Indian  belief  is 
that  both  the  good  and  bad  spirit  constantly 
hover  around  a  sick  bed  and  that  the  sound  of 
drum  kept  the  bad  spirit  away  ;  that  the  good 
spirit  cannot  be  offended;  that  if  they  can  only 
keep  the  bad  spirit  away  until  death  takes  place 
the  good  spirit  immediately  takes  charge  of  the 
soul  and  carries  it  to  the  river,  where  it  pleads 
with  the  Great  Spirit  for  its  immediate  trans^ 
portation  to  the  good  land. 

Now  in  regard  to  the  custom  of  Indians  carry, 
ing  game  and  eatables  and  distributing  them  at 
the  graves  of  their  dead  as  a  token  of  their  re- 
membrance and  as  a  mode  they  had  adopted  for 
pleading  with  the  Great  Spirit.  Everbody 
knows  that  the  chief  subsistance  of  Indians  in 
olden  times,  and  even  yet,  is  game,  no  great 
stock  of  which  could  be  laid  away  for  future 
tise,  which  made  the  procurement  of  food  a  daily 
struggle  for  existence,  and  no  Indians,  from  ail 
that  I  could  ever  learn,  were  well  fed.  They 
had  feasts  as  well  as  others,  but  food  was  a  scar- 
city, and  from  this  fact  all  will  admit  that  to 
part  with  a  portion  of  their  food  was  the  great- 
est sacrifice  they  could  endure,  and  it  was  for 
this  reason  and  none  other  that  this  system  was 
adopted.  To  think  for  a  moment  that  the  In- 
dians wero  so  devoid  of  expedients  as  not  to  be 


180 


EAELY  INDIAN  HISTORY. 


able  to  adopt  any  other  plan  of  remembering 
their  dead  is  bosh  and  nonsense. 

The  Indian  people  were  in  all  essentials  a  band 
of  brothers  and  aside  from  family  relations  they 
were  one  and  inseparable  as  far  as  their  tribal 
nationality  extended.  As  an  example,  one 
hunter  who  by  reason  of  his  better  sense  and 
ability  to  devise  new  and  improved  methods  for 
capturing  game  had  succeeded  in  bringing  to 
camp  a  large  moose  or  other  animal,  such  as  is 
not  frequently  secured  by  the  average  hunter, 
a  feast  upon  this  animal  would  always  follow, 
as  was  the  custom,  the  only  reward  the  hunter 
got  was  the  distinction  he  had  won  by  his  mar- 
velous prowess.  Everybody  was  invited  to  this 
feast  and  expected  to  be  present,  and  all  who 
had  buried  friends  not  gone  a  sufficient  length 
of  time  to  have  secured  their  passage  across  the 
river  were  expected  to  take  a  small  portion  of 
this  meat  as  an  offering  of  sacrifice  to  their 
graves.  The  bond  of  unity  was  never  lost  sight 
of,  a  favor  to  one  was  a  favor  to  all  and  an  in- 
sult upon  one  was  an  insult  upon  all,  and  in 
either  cases  the  act  was  never  forgotten  or  al- 
lowed to  become  rusty  in  their  minds. 

As  I  have  made  mention  of  the  secret  order 
among  the  Indians  in  early  days,  and  that  they 
had  signs  by  which  they  were  enabled  to  hunt 
up  the  different  bands  and  families  of  the  tribe, 
I  will  say  that  they  also  had  other  signs,  one  of 
which  was  a  sign  of  recognition  that  called  for 
protection  the  same  as  a  flag  of  truce,  and  I  will 
mention  a  case  where  it  was  used  to  good  ad- 
vantage.     There  is  now  a  man  living  at  Iron* 


EAELY   INDIAN  HISTORY. 


181 


wood,  Michigan,  to  whom  this  incident  may  be 
referred  for  its  correctness.  His  name  is  Wil- 
liam Whitesides,  a  photographer  at  that  place. 
In  the  fall  of  the  year  1865  Indian  Agent 
Webb  left  Bayfield,  Wis.,  for  Grand  Portage, 
Minn.,  near  the  mouth  of  Pigeon  River,  to  make 
an  annuity  payment  to  the  Chippewa  Indians 
on  the  north  shore  of  Lake  Superior.  Mr. 
Whiesides  and  myself  embarked  with  him  on 
this  voyage  as  passengers,  not  being  in  any  way 
connected  with  the  business  of  Mr.  Webb. 
When  the  boat  was  anchored,  about  4  p.  m. ,  in 
the  bay  just  inside  the  island  a  messenger  came 
from  the  Indian  village  in  a  canoe  and  inquired 
of  Gen.  Webb  if  he  had  brought  specie  for  the 
money  payment,  and  if  not  they  did  not  wish  to 
have  him  land  and  intimated  that  it  would  not 
be  safe  to  do  so.  Mr.  Webb  replied,  through 
his  interpreter,  that  he  had  not  brought  specie 
but  had  brought  all  the  goods  that  had  been 
promised  them  and  paper  money.  The  messenger 
said  they  would  not  accept  greenbacks,  conse- 
quently they  did  not  desire  him  to  land  at  all 
and  then  went  back  to  the  shore.  This  led  to  a 
long  talk  between  Gen.  Webb  and  the  men 
aboard  the  schooner  as  to  what  had  better  be 
done,  and  it  was  decided  as  the  weather  just 
then  was  unfavorable  to  lift  anchor,  they  would 
depart  early  next  morning,  as  there  was  not  a 
man  on  board  who  thought  it  would  be  advis- 
able to  attempt  a  landing.  I  told  Gen.  Webb 
that  if  he  would  have  his  men  lower  a  yawl  I 
would  scull  it  ashore  and  find  out  what  the 
trouble  was  if  I  could.    All  pronounced  me 


182  EARLY  INDIAN  HISTuRY. 

crazy  and  Agent  Webb  said  I  would  be  foolish 
to  attempt  it,  but  the  boat  was  lowered  and  I 
got  into  it  feeling  satisfied  that  there  was  some 
Indian  on  the  shore  that  would  recognize  the 
sign  I  intended  giving  them,  and  as  soon  as  I 
was  clear  of  the  schooner  and  sufiiciently  near 
the  shore  to  be  distinctly  seen  by  the  Indians  I 
gave  the  sign  and  immediately  saw  that  it  had 
been  recognized,  for  the  Indians  began  to  move 
up  to  the  shore  and  seat  themselves  upon  the 
beach.  This  was  assurance  to  me  that  I  would 
be  protected  and  when  the  yawl  had  reached 
'the  bank  the  Indians  assisted  in  pulling  it  up  on 
the  beach  where  it  would  be  safe  from  washing 
away.  After  getting  on  shore  a  few  Indians 
recogn ,  ed  me  as  the  interpreter  who  had  pre- 
viously been  with  Mr.  Webb.  They  shook 
hands  with  me,  saying:  "We  heard  that  you 
w^ere  no  longer  with  Mr.  Webb."  I  told  them  I 
was  not  in  his  employ  now,  but  was  only  a  pas- 
senger. I  then  began  to  inquire  what  the  trouble 
was,  and  quickly  discovered  that  they  had  been 
getting  bad  advice  from  the  traders,  the  same  as 
had  been  given  to  the  Sioux  previous  to  the 
massacre  at  New  Ulm,  and  for  the  same  reason 
— they  wished  to  profit  by  the  difference  in  value 
theii  existing  between  specie  and  greenbacks 
and  had  advised  the  Inaians  to  accept  nothing 
but  ppecie  in  payment  of  their  annuities.  I  told 
them  the  agent  was  not  to  blame  for  not  having 
gold  and  silver  to  pay  them.  He  had  brought 
what  the  great  father  had  sent  him  to  give  them 
and  if  they  refused  to  receive  it  he  would  be 
compelled  to  take  it  away  and  store  it  in  some 


> 

Q 

> 

c 

Q 


'  ^rf  11/  III 


'''  !  'I  I  4  ill 


) 


•/Ml  Mi 


Hi 


;■  f  i^if^u 


«• 


-    *'. 


f    ^ .', 


-•; 


EARLY  INDIAN  HISTORY. 


183 


Tvarehonse  and  await  orders  as  to  what  he  should 
do  with  it,  as  it  was  not  at  all  likely  that  he 
would  attempt  to  come  back  again  before  spring 
and  that  my  advice  would  be  to  accept  it  under 
protest  or  the  promise  of  the  agent  that  he  would 
see  that  the  difference  in  value  between  gold 
and  greenbacks  was  made  good  to  them  at  the 
next  payment.  This  resulted  in  three  chiefs 
getting  into  a  canoe  and  going  back  to  the  boat 
with  me  and  they  told  the  agent  that  they  would 
accept  what  he  had  brought  upon  his  promise  to 
make  up  the  difference  on  his  next  trip. 

The  next  morning  the  goods  and  money  were 
taken  ashore  and  from  the  warehouse  were  dis- 
tributed, and  a  more  peaceable  and  orderly  pay- 
ment I  never  witnessed.  It  was  all  brought 
about  by  my  knowledge  of  the  secret  sign,  for 
as  soon  as  the  chiefs  discovered  I  was  a  member 
of  their  secret  society  my  word  and  advice  went 
almost  the  same  as  law.  I  mention  this  one 
case  only  as  there  is  a  living  witness  to  the  state- 
ment, but  I  have  often  found  it  useful  in  my 
intercourse  with  the  Indians. 

I  will  now  undertake  to  show  with  what  love, 
superstitious  awe,  reverence  or  by  such  terra  as 
you  may  see  fit  to  call  it,  the  Indians  hold  the 
Great  Spirit  and  to  what  extent  they  will  go  in 
keeping  secret  a  matter,  the  revelation  of  which 
might,  in  their  estimation,  provoke  the  Great 
Spirit.  The  custom  of  holding  religious  coun- 
cils, which  is  as  old  as  tradition  goes,  is  begun 
by  assembling  in  a  wigwam  where  some  one, 
generally  a  chief,  calls  the  ittention  of  his 
hearers  to  the  main  matter  unuor  consideration. . 


184 


■n:ARLY  INDIAN  HISTORY. 


Then  each  person  present  in  turn  is  expected  to 
add  remarks  upon  the  subject  which  is  being 
considered,  giving  information  of  any  exper- 
iences he  may  have  had  personally  since  the  last 
council.  Back  in  the  '40's  and  when  one  of  these 
councils  was  being  held  at  La  Pointe,  about 
twenty  miles  from  Ashland,  an  old  man  who 
had,  by  tho  help  and  guidance  of  the  Great 
Spirit,  as  the  Indians  imagined,  discovered  a 
place  where  pure  silver  could  be  obtained  which 
the  Indians  in  those  days  used  for  ornaments. 
An  especial  use  they  put  it  to  was  mount- 
ing pipes  that  were  to  be  used  on  special  occa- 
sions, such  as  a  visit  to  the  great  father,  and 
w^henever  silver  was  wanted  this  particular  old 
man  was  asked  to  provide  it  as  he  aione  knew 
the  secret  of  its  location.  For  years  he  had  ob- 
tained it  w^henever  wanted.  He  woald  start 
out  alone  and  unobserved  and  return  with  the 
silver,  but  no  one  knew  where  lie  went  or  by 
what  route.  Neither  did  they  consider  it  a  mat- 
ter of  their  concern.  In  fact  they  considered  it 
would  be  greatly  wa-onging  the  Great  Spirit  for 
them  to  inquire  after  tlie  secret  that  He  had 
vouchsafed  to  the  old  man.  At  the  council  I 
hav'3  referred  to  the  old  man,  with  much  agita- 
tion, arose  to  make  his  speech,  and  I  saw  there 
was  something  coming  from  him  that  was  not 
expected.  He  told  his  people  that  as  they  knew 
he  had  for  many  years  been  the  possessor  of  the 
secret  where  the  silver  was  found,  it  was  with 
much  regret  that  he  must  tell  them  that  the 
Great  Spirit  was  angry  with  him  for  he  could 
no  longer  find  the  place  where  the  silver  was. 


EA.RLY  INDIAN  HISTORY.  185 

He  then  described  the  outlook  of  the  place,  but 
did  not  give  its  geographical  location.  Hs  des- 
cribed it  as  being  a  narrow  passage  at  first, 
through  which  his  body  would  only  pass  with 
much  exertion,  gradually  growing  larger  until 

he  could  proceed  on  his  hands  and  knees,  and 
finally  became  large  enough  for  him  to  fctand 
erect.  He  reported  that  it  was  a  huge  cave, 
where  he  could  pick  up  or  chip  off  such  pieces 
as  he  required,  and  I  will  add  that  the  Indians 
believed  it  was  not  right,  in  cases  of  this  kind, 
where  they  were  getting  rare  specimens,  to  take 
of  such  but  sparingly  and  under  no  circum* 
stances  to  search  for  what  was  hidden,  but 
would  take  only  such  parts  or  pieces  as  the 
Great  Spirit  had  left  in  sight  for  tJieir  use  and 
benefit.  Another  example  is  where  an  Indian 
had  found  a  silver  bar,  from  which  he  cut  with 
his  hatchet  a  piece  that  weighed  a  pound,  and 
never  to  his  dying  day,  a  good  many  years  af ter- 
w^ardfe,  would  he  reveal  the  place  where  he  had 
found  it.  I  have  many  times  seen  this  piece  of 
silver  and  weighed  it,  in  fact  it  was  in  my  pos- 
session a  number  of  years,  and  this  Indian  three 
times  started  with  me  to  the  place  where  he  had 
found  it,  and  as  many  times  backed  out  and 
each  time  after  going,  as  I  afterward  learned, 
to  within  one-half  mile  of  it.  On  his  death- 
bed he  told  his  son  to  tell  me,  when  he  should 
next  see  me,  to  go  just  one-half  mile  toward  the 
setting  sun  from  the  moss-covered  log  where  he 
had  turned  back  from  on  his  first  visit  with  me, 
and  I  would  find  it,  but  between  the  time  he 


186  EARLY  INDIAN  HISTORY. 

had  gone  to  show  me  and  the  time  he  told  hip 
son  where  I  could  find  it,  I  lost  my  eye-sight  and 
although  I  have  tried,  since  me  eye-sight  has 
been  partially  restored,  to  find  the  place,  I  have 
never  been  able  to  do  so.  It  is  now  about  sev- 
enty years  since  the  Indian  found  the  piece  of 
silver,  but  where  he  found  it  is  still  a  mystery, 
for  if  anyone  had  ever  found  the  place  they 
probably  would  have  seen  the  piece  from  which 
the  Indian  cut  the  specimen  he  brought  in  which 
plainly  showed  the  marks  of  his  hatchet  at  each 
stroke  made  in  securing  it  from  the  piece  he 
had  found.  He  came  to  his  death  by  falling 
through  a  hole  in  a  defectxve  dock  at  Bayfield, 
Wisconsin. 

The  American  Fur  Company  knew  of  this 
find  and  tried  all  the  persuasion  and  strategy 
of  which  they  were  capable  to  extract  this  sec- 
ret from  the  Indian  without  avail.  When  the 
old  man  found  this  silver  his  brother  was  in 
company  with  him.  They  had  stopped  by  a 
creek  to  rest,  as  they  were  carrying  home  a  deer 
they  had  killed.  He  often  told  me  the  circum- 
stances of  the  find.  He  said  they  had  stopped 
to  rest  and  get  a  drink  from  the  creek  and  while 
seated  there  had  smoked,  and  after  he  had  fin- 
ished he  pounded  the  ashes  from  his  tomahawk 
pipe  on  a  stone  near  him  and  then  in  a  sort  of 
pastime  way  he  began  tapping  his  pipe  on  differ- 
ent stones  near,  when  he  discovered  that  the 
sound  of  one  differed  from  the  rest,  and  that  a 
little  moss  had  gathered  over  it,  which  he 
brushed  off  and  discovered  the  point  of  a  silver 
bar.    At  first  he  thought  it  lead  and  said  to  his 


EARLY   irDIAN   HISTORY. 


187 


brother:  "We  now  have  something  to  make 
bullets  from. " 

Another  story  in  this  connection  which  I  will 
not  vouch  for  entirely,  is  that  the  American 
Fur  Company  devised  a  plan  by  which  they 
would  decoy  this  brother  with  whiskey  to  the 
spot.  They  first  gave  him  a  few  drinks,  and 
promised  him  more  as  they  Wdnt  along  to  the 
place  tliey  wished  him  to  point  out  and  told 
him  that  in  case  he  succeeded  in  showing  them 
the  bar  from  which  the  piece  had  been  cut,  he 
should  receive  a  heap  of  presents.  Some  say  he 
was  promised  a  house  to  live  in.  At  any  rate 
they  got  him  into  a  canoe  with  another  Indian 
to  help  him  paddle  across  the  water  to  the  main 
land,  over  which  he  was  to  proceed  to  the  place 
where  the  silver  could  be  found.  The  com- 
pany's men  were  to  go  in  another  boat,  but  just 
as  this  brother  was  about  to  start  the  idea 
flashed  across  his  mind  that  his  canoe  was  the 
proper  place  to  carry  the  bottle  of  whiskey,  and 
he  would  not  budge  another  step  until  the  men 
gave  him  the  whiskey.  Although  the  men  were 
almost  certain  the  scheme  would  miscarry  if 
they  let  him  have  the  bottle,  it  was  their  only 
show,  for  he  would  not  go  without  it,  and  after 
a  consultation  it  was  decided  to  let  him  have  it. 
The  chance  they  took  proved  a  slim  one  for  the 
the  Indians  were  wildly  drunk  before  they  had 
proceeded  half  way  across  the  water,  when  they 
fell  to  fighting  over  the  bottle  and  both  were 
drowned. 

Although  some  parts  of  this  is  true,  I  will 
not  guarantee  that  all  of  it  would  have  borne 


188 


EARLY   INDIAN  HISTORY. 


investigation,  but  enough  of  it  was  true  to 
carry  to  the  living  brother  the  conviction  that  tlie 
Great  Spirit  was  di.  pleased  by  the  action  of  his 
brother  in  attempting:  to  reveal  the  secret  and 
that  he  was  drowned  by  the  will  of  the  Great 
Spirit,  and  this,  ia  my  opinion,  was  the  reason 
why  the  old  man  would  not  show  it  to  me. 

The  circumstances  connected  with  this  case  I 
often  think  over  How  the  old  man  started 
with  me  on  three  occasions,  and  each  time 
would  begin  to  falter  about  the  same  distance 
from  home,  but  he  would  keep  on  until  his  con- 
science would  no  longer  allow  him  to  proceed, 
the  reproach  he  felt  by  reason  of  his  belief 
caused  him  to  turn  back,  the  fear  that  the 
Great  Spirit  would  be  offended,  was  too  much 
for  his  untutored  mind.  He  feared  should  he 
show  me  the  spot  it  would  result  in  digging  and 
taking  away  from  the  Great  Spirit  the  treasures 
that  He  had  hidden  for  His  own  benefit,  and  all 
the  glitter  of  prospective  wealth,  should  the 
mine  prove  valuable,  could  not  drive  out  this 
fear. 

I  give  these  incidents,  which  look  more  Mke 
stories  than  history,  for  I  firmly  believe  the  two 
places  I  have  mentioned  will  be  discovered,  and 
should  this  occur,  some  may  be  living  who  can 
connect  the  stories  with  the  find  and  thus  estab- 
lish the  fact  that  the  poor  Indian  knew  of  them, 
but  by  reason  of  his  religious  zeal,  would  not 
disclose  it  le^t  those  hidden  treasures  of  the 
Great  Spirit  should  be  appropriated  to  the  use 
of  man,  and  their  hidden  recess  be  desecrated. 
There  were  parties  livixicJ  ou  the  Apostle  Islands, 


EAKLY   INDIAN  HISIOKY. 


189 


and  in  surrounding  country,  subsequent  to  the 
iidvent  of  the  American  Fur  Company,  who 
have  seen  this  piece  of  silver.  One  is  still  liv- 
ing at  Bayfield,  Wis.,  his  name  is  Ervin  Leihy, 
who,  until  late,  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Leihy  <fe  Garnich,  of  Ashland,  Wis.,  who  estab- 
lished a  hardware  business  there  in  1872. 

For  years  after  it  became  known  that  I  had 
more  knowledge  of  the  whereabouts  of  the  sil- 
ver bar  than  anyone  else  except  the  old  Indian, 
I  was  watched  if  I  undertook  to  go  to  the  woods 
by  parties  in  the  hire  of  men  I  could  mention, 
which  prevented  me  from  making  any  extensive 
search  for  the  deposit  until  after  I  had  lost  my 
eyesight. 

I  know  of  silver  and  native  gold  also  being 
found  in  the  vicinity  of  Ashland  by  different 
men  from  time  to  time.  One  man  iu  particular 
who  claimed  to  hail  from  Missouri,  found  two 
or  three  specimens  of  gold  which  I  saw.  I  am 
well  acquainted  with  the  locality  where  he  had 
his  camp,  where  he  left  when  he  went  away  a 
rude  map,  which,  although  indefinite,  would 
give  a  person  acquainted  with  the  locality  an 
idea  of  the  country  he  wished  to  describe  by  hia 
map,  and  later  on,  in  company  with  Col.  Whit- 
tlesey, of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  a  geological  expert, 
I  spent  several  days  in  the  vicinity  indicated  by 
this  map,  but  we  failed  in  our  attempt  to  locate 
the  particular  place  where  he  may  have  found 
the  specimens.  At  the  time  the  Missourian  left 
he  said  he  would  go  below  and  form  a  company 
and  return.  He  said  he  had  been  offered  a  big 
sum  by  the  American  Fur  Company  to  explore 


190  EARLY   INDIAN  HISTORY. 

the  location  on  their  account,  but  had  refused" 
it,  and  proposed  to  explore  on  his  own  account, 
but  he  never  returned,  to  my  knowledge.  Col. 
Whittlesey  told  me  that  the  formation  of  rock 
he  found  at  this  time  led  him  to  believe  that 
gold  was  located  in  that  immediate  vicinity,  but 
says:  "  I  have  studied  geology  for  forty  years, 
more  or  less  of  the  time,  but  I  find  when  I  get 
into  this  country  I  am  entirely  at  sea,  but  1 
believe  that  gold  or  silver,  or  both,  wall  be  found 
at  the  junction  of  the  trap  rock  and  granite,  and 
think  in  all  cases  that  the  gold,  silver  and  cop- 
per is  north  of  the  iron,  first  coming  the  copper, 
which  may  be  found  anywhere  in  trap  and  con- 
glomerate therewith,  and  that  silver  will  be 
found  with  it  also,  and  that  silver-lead  exists 
somewhere  in  that  section  of  country. " 

The  Indians  have  always  told  me  that  there 
was  no  doubt  of  there  being  large  deposits  of 
precious  metals  in  and  around  Lake  Superior, 
particularly  on  the  south  and  west  sides.  I 
have  also  met  and  talked  with  Indians  who 
thought  such  deposists  existed  on  the  north, 
shore,  particularly  in  the  r  gion  of  Pigeon  River, 
and  back  in  the  interior  thirty  or  forty  miles, 
and  I  have  seen  fine  specimens  brought  in  by 
them  to  orrand  Portage,  one  of  which  was  pur- 
chased by  Clark  W.  Thompson,  Superintendent 
of  Indian  Affairs  of  the  Northwest,  then  sta- 
tioned at  St.  Paul,  and  in  talking  with  the  party 
who  brought  in  the  specimens,  I  should  judge 
by  what  little  he  would  say,  that  the  silver  was 
found  in  a  cave  or  crevice  of  rock,  and  as  I  was 
anxious  to  find  out  where  it  might  be,  I  took 


EARLY  INDIAN  HISTORY.  -  191 

every  occaBion  that  presented  itself  to  ply  the 
Indians  with  questions  that  might  lead  to  its 
immediate  location,  but  I  was  unsuccessful, 
only  learning  that  the  place  was  not  likely  to 
be  discovered  by  any  casual  observer,  even 
though  he  might  happen  near  it.  I  havo  talked 
with  many  men  who  do  not  like  to  give  Indians 
credit  for  their  claims  of  finding  these  things  as 
they  were  wholly  ignorant  of  geology  or  any 
other  information  that  would  lead  them  to 
search  in  right  places  for  such  metals,  but  I 
account  lor  their  finds  in  this  way,  for  I  know 
they  did  find  them  as  a  matter  of  fach,  and  as 
there  was  no  mining  going  on  in  any  of  this 
country  at  the  time,  they  must  have  found  the 
specimens  native  and  without  searching  in  the 
€arth  for  them.  The  Indians  in  those  days 
often  lived  in  one  locality  for  from  ten  days  to 
six  weeks,  and  made  their  stay  always  longest 
in  sugar  making  time,  and  as  hunting  was  their 
only  occupation,  they  had  occasion  to  become 
familiar  with  every  locality  in  their  vicinity, 
and  as  they  moved  frequently,  the  whole  coun- 
try came  under  their  explorations.  The  Indians' 
nature  was  to  closely  search  for  dens  of  ani- 
mals, r  -id  no  matter  how  dangerous  looking  a 
cave  or  cavern  was,  the  Indian  was  in  his  ele- 
ments until  the  ir.st  nook  and  niche  was  visited, 
and  as  many  of  the  most  valuable  fur  bearing 
animals  are  found  in  such  places,  they  were 
especially  looked  after,  and  as  the  women's 
duty  in  those  days  was  to  do  all  the  labor  in 
moving  camps,  pitching  them  in  new  places,  and 
doing  all  work  attached  to  camp  duty,  the  men's 


192  EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 

time  was  all  taken  up  outBide  of  camp.  Indians 
in  those  days  lived  to  a  good  old  age,  from  100  to 
125  years  was  not  at  all  uncommon.  You  readily 
see  what  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  whole 
country  they  must  have  had.  There  would 
probably  not  be  a  rock,  tree,  stream  or  lake  that 
they  could  not  readily  speak  of  by  reason  of 
some  peculiarity  he  had  noticed.  I  never  knew 
of  one  Indian  divulging  to  another  any  discov- 
ery he  had  made,  the  nature  of  which  would 
lead  to  his  being  considered  and  acknowled- ,  '■. 
as  a  child  of  the  Good  Spirit,  and  any  Indi^xt 
was  considered  as  a  favorite  with  the  Great 
Spirit  who  could  bring  the  proof,  by  specimen 
or  otherwise,  of  anything  that  was  not  a  com- 
mon knowledge  or  theory.  Each  Indian  had 
his  own  exclusive  hunting  ground,  which  wass 
pointed  out  to  him  and  described  by  the  chief, 
whenever  a  new  location  was  settled,  and  none 
encroached  upon  the  hunting  domain  of  another. 
Thus  each  man  had  an  opportunity  of  becoming 
a  favorite  with  the  Great  Spirit  if  by  his 
researches  he  could  find  or  discover  any  new 
thing  or  theory  that  was  not  commonly  known, 
and  although  an  Indian  received  no  distinction 
of  title  or  other  advantage  by  reason  of  his  dis- 
coveries, except  the  distinction  of  being  favored 
by  the  Great  Spirit,  tlie  natural  sequence  was; 
that  each  man  thoroughly  searched  his  own 
domain. 

The  Indians  believe  that  thunder  is  the  voice 
of  an  immense  invisible  bird  that  comes  at  times 
to  warn  them  that  the  Great  Spirit  is  displeased, 
with  something  they  have  done,    and  that  it 


EARLY  INDIAN  HISTORY. 


193 


always  comes  when  the  country  is  already 
storm-vexed,  as  the  time  is  then  opportune  to 
add  its  voice  to  the  naturally  saddened  feelings 
of  the  neople,  thereby  making  its  presence  more 
eifective.  The  lightning  they  believed  to  be 
flashes  from  the  eyes  of  this  enormous  bird,  and 
when  the  storm  is  fierce  and  the  flashes  vivid 
it  is  taken  as  a  warning  that  their  bad  deeds, 
are  many  and  that  their  retribution  must  be 
grat.  When  one  is  killed  by  the  fluid  they 
believe  it  is  a  judgment  sent  by  the  Great 
Spirit  through  the  agency  of  this  mysterious 
bird.  They  call  this  bird  Che-ne-me-ke.  When 
they  see  distant  flashes  of  lightning  and  do  not 
hear  the  voice,  as  they  believe,  of  this  great 
bird,  they  know  it  is  at  a  distance,  but  still 
believe  it  is  teaching  a  lesson  to  distant  people 
and  will  soon  be  with  them.  But  should  a 
storm  pass  by  without  the  voice  and  flashes 
coming  near  them  they  are  happy  again,  for 
they  feel  relieved,  believing  that  the  bird  is  not 
angry  with  them.  They  firmly  believe  this 
bird  to  be  an  angency  of  the  Almighty,  which 
is  kept  moving  about  to  keep  an  eye  on  the 
wrong  doings  of  the  people.  When  a  tree  is 
stricken  and  set  on  fire,  the  lesson  it  wishes  to 
impart  has  been  given  and  the  rain  is  sent  to 
prevent  the  fire  from  destroying  the  country. 

There  is  a  point  of  land  in  this  part  of  the 
country  that  the  Indians  call  Pa-c -la-a-wong — 
meaning  a  forest  destroyed  by  the  great  thunder 
bird.  I  have  visited  this  place.  It  is  now 
almost  a  barren.  The  timber  which  was  once 
upon  it  having  been  destroyed  by  lightning  and 


194  EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 

the  Indians  believed  that  the  storm  bird  de- 
stroyed this  forest  to  siiow  its  wrath,  that  they 
might  profit  by  tlie  lesson.  A  hunting  party  of 
Indians  were  once  canght  on  this  barren  in  a 
thunder  storm,  and  took  refuge  under  t lie  trunk 
of  a  fallen  tree,  which  had  been  burnt  suf- 
ficiently on  the  under  side  to  give  them  shelter. 
One  of  the  party,  in  his  hurry  to  get  out  of  the 
rain,  left  his  gun  standing  against  the  log.  The 
lightning  struck  it,  running  down  the  barrel 
and  twisting  it  into  many  shapes  and  destroyed 
it  and  the  owner  of  this  gun  was  thereafter 
pointed  out  by  the  whole  band  as  the  person 
upon  whom  the  storm  bird  desired  to  bestow  its 
frowns.  So  deep  seated  are  their  convictions 
upon  this  point  that  there  is  not  enough  lan- 
guage in  the  Indian  tongue  or  words  enough  in 
the  English  vocabulary  to  convince  them  of 
their  error.  The  quotation  is  a  truthful  one 
Vvdiich  says 

"They  saw  God 
in  the  clouds  and  heard  Ilira  in  the  winds." 

Since  white  men  came  among  the  Indians 
they  have  not  been  slow  to  learn.  I  have  often 
heard  them  remark 

"The  earth  is  the  white  man's  heaven 
and  money  is  his  god." 

The  true  Indian  belief  as  regards  the  earth  is 
that  it  is  the  mother  of  all  things,  vegetable, 
animal  and  human.  They  place  the  sun  as  the 
father  and  the  air  as  life.  The  reason  they  put 
forth  in  support  of  this  belief  is  that  if  air  is 
taken  from  anything  either  human,  animal  or 


EARLY  INDIAN  HISTORY.  195 

vegetable  it  will  immediately  die,  and  that  the 
sun  is  the  father,  for  to  cover  up  or  shut  out  from 
the  rays  of  the  sun'  any  plant,  grass,  or  veget- 
able, it  will  wither  and  droop;  but  let  the 
rays  of  the  sun  strike  it  and  it  will  immediately 
spring  to  new  life.  They  also  believe  there  is 
a  temporary  mother  who  guards  all  things  in 
their  youth,  when  natures  further  development 
is  left  to  the  sun. 

You  will  see  that  the  Indian  pronuncia- 
tion of  sun  is  as  near  our  pronunciation  of 
Jesus  as  two  human  tongues  can  speak  it,  they 
pronouncing  sun  as  "geses".  They  believed 
in  what  they  saw;  they  read  the  signs  in  the 
heavens  as  manifestations  from  the  Great  Spirit 
and  they  looked  upon  them  for  their  guidance 
the  same  as  white  people  look  upon  the  bible  to 
get  an  underst»\xajng  of  what  our  creator 
would  have  us  see  and  understand.  Take  from 
the  white  race  their  bible  and  their  science  and 
the  Indian  religion  is  as  orthodox  as  any  now 
extant.  One  thing  is  certain,  they  believed  in 
their  religion  and  practiced  what  they  preach- 
ed.    No  hypocrite  was  ever  known  among  them. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


Three  Promi:n^ext  Chippewa  Chiefs,  Buffalo, 

HOLE-IN-THE-DAY,    AND    Es-KE-BUG-A-KUSH. — ThE 

Most  Noble  op  -the  Trio — Hole-in-the-day  as 
A  Warrior. — A  Chief's  Daughter. 

I  see  by  the  history  of  T.  E.  Randall,  entitled 
*'A  History  of  the  Chippewa  Valley"  and  writ- 
ten by  him  in  1875,  at  Eau  Claire,  Wis.,  that 
Chief'  Hole-in-the-day  of  the  upper  Mississippi 
Chippewas,  was  in  his  estimation  the  greatest 
chief  of  the  Chippewa  tribe.  The  facts  are  that 
Hole-in-the-day  was  a  great  warrior  but  was  far 
from  being  a  peacable  Indian.  I  also  find  in 
Warren's  history  that  he  seemed  to  think  that 
chief  Flat-Mouth  (Es-ke-bug-a-kush)  was  a  great 
chief,  which  I  admit.  He  was  a  good  warrior 
but  did  not  set  the  good  example  that  Chief 
Buffalo  did. 

Of  course  it  is  probable  that  a  long  acquaint- 
ance with  different  Indians  leads  men  to  form  a 
very  fixed  opinion.  I  was  well  acquainted  with 
all  three  of  these  chiefs.     Hole-in-the-day  and 


EARLY   INDIAN  HISTORY. 


197 


Flat-Mouth  were  continually  on  the  warpath 
committing  bloody  butcheries  upon  their 
enemy,  the  Sioux,  whenever  there  was  an  oppor- 
tunity, and  if  no  good  opportunity  presented 
itself  they  would  make  one,  while  Buffalo, 
on  the  contrary,  never  went  on  the  warpath  and 
would  only  agree  to  fight  when  it  became  act- 
ually necessary  to  repel  an  invasion,  and  his 
battle  at  the  Brule  river  was  one  of  these  very 
cases.  Hole-in-the-day  and  Es-ke-bug-a-kush 
were  stirring  up  strife  about  the  Mississippi 
river  and  a  party  of  Sioux  started  for  tlie  peac- 
able  portion  of  the  Chippewas  expecting  to 
catch  them  napping  and  wreak  upon  them  the 
revenge  they  had  failed  to  get  from  the  fighting 
Chippewas  that  were  with  Hole-in-the-day  and 
Flat-Mouth.  "Sherman-like  to  the  sea"  they 
had  cut  around  the  warlike  portion  of  the 
Chippewas  and  would  have  annihilated  the 
peacables  had  not  Buffalo  got  word  of  their 
coming  in  time  to  meet  them  at  the  Brule. 

The  general  character  of  Buffalo  was  as  dif- 
ferent from  that  of  Hole-in-the-day  and  Es-ke- 
bug-a-kush  as  daylight  is  from  darkness.  Buf- 
falo always  set  a  good  example,  was  a  very 
temperate  man  in  all  things  and  was  very 
industrious;  a  man  of  immense  frame  and  an 
iron  constitution.  I  have  heard  many  stories 
related  of  him  when  he  was  young  and  related 
by  people  of  his  own  tribe.  They  claimed  he 
was  a  great  hunter  and  the  best  bow  and  arrow 
shot  of  his  time.  It  was  said  that  in  his  prime 
he  shot  the  swiftest  arrow  of  any  man  then 
known.    His  practice  was  to  frequently  give  his 


198 


EARLY  INDIAN  HISTORY. 


people  good  advice,  more  like  a  father  to  them 
than  a  domineering  chief. 

After  the  treaty  of  peace  at  Prarie  Du  Chien 
and  the  Chippewa  county  had  been  set  apart  for 
them,  war  parties  and  peace  parties  were  the 
only  thing  upon  which  they  were  not  perfectly 
agreed.  Hole-in-the-day  headed  the  contingent 
while  Buffalo  was  the  leader  of  those  inclined 
to  perpetual  peace.  The  peace  party  were  in 
the  ascendency  in  numbers  all  the  time  from 
that  treaty  forward. 

Mr.  Randall,  wdio  had  short  experience  with 
Hole-in-tho-day,  was  doubtless  honest  in  the 
opinion  he  had  of  him  as  a  wise  chief  and  peac- 
ably  inclined,  but  that  was  not  his  general 
V'haracter.  Mr.  Warren,  whose  history  of  the 
northwest  I  claim  to  be  the  best  of  any  that  has 
come  to  my  observation,  was  born  at  La  Points, 
Madeline  Island,  Lake  Superior*  and  up  to  the 
time  he  was  ten  years  old  saw  more  or  less  of 
Buffalo,  but  the  next  ten  years  of  his  life  w^ere 
spent  at  school  in  the  east,  and  on  his  return  to 
tiie  country  of  his  nativity  he  associated  him- 
self principally  with  Chief  Es-ke-bug-a-kush, 
and  it  appears  that  this  individual  dictated  a 
great  part  of  the  history  which  his  book  con- 
tains. 

As  to  myself,  from  1840  to  the  death  of  Buf- 
falo, I  was  almost  his  constant  companion  and 
it  would  be  natural  for  me  to  know  more  of 
Buffalo  than  Warren  could  have  known  of 
Flat-Mouth  and  I  could  w^rite  a  good  deal  about 
the  bloody  battles  of  the  Sioux  aud  Chippewas 
that  Indians  have  told  me  but  do  not  care  to  do 


EAliLY    INDIAK    HISTORY. 


lyy 


HO  as  Warren  has  entered  upon  that  subjecjt 
quite  exhaustively  and  as  he  learned  it  from  a 
fighting  chief.  I  claim  to  know  the  Indian 
character  as  well  as  any  man  now  living.  Mr. 
Warren  was  a  good  man  intellectually  and 
otherwise  and  every  word  he  wrote  he  believed 
to  be  true.  He  died  before  the  completion  of 
his  work. 

While  writing  about  chiefs  and  their  char- 
acter it  may  not  be  amiss  to  give  the  reader  a 
short  story  of  a  chief's  daughter  in  battle,  where 
she  pre  ved  as  good  a  warrior  as  many  of  the 
sterner  sex. 

In  the  '50's  there  lived  in  the  vicinity  c^  Rice 
Lake,  Wis.,  a  band  of  Indians  numbering 
about  200.  They  were  headed  by  a  chief  nam- 
ed Na-nong-ga-bee.  This  chief,  with  about 
seventy  of  his  people  came  to  La  Point  1o  attend 
the  treaty  of  1854.  After  the  treaty  was  con- 
cluded he  started  home  with  his  people,  the 
route  being  through  heavy  forests  and  the  trail 
one  which  was  but  little  used.  When  they  had 
reached  a  point  a  few  miles  south  of  the  Name- 
kagon  River  and  near  a  place  called  Beck-gua- 
ah-wong  they  were  surprised  by  a  band  of  Sioux 
who  were  on  the  warpath  and  then  in  ambush, 
where  a  few  of  the  Chippewas  were  killed, 
including  the  old  chief  and  his  oldest  son. 
The  trail  being  a  narrow  one  only  one  could 
pass  at  a  time,  true  Indian  file.  This  made 
their  line  quite  long  as  they  were  not  trying  to 
keep  bunched,  not  expecting  or  having-  any 
thought  of  being  attacked  by  their  life  long 
enemy.     The  chief,  his  son  and  daughter  were 


200 


EARLY   INDIAN  HISTORY. 


in  the  lead  and  the  old  man  and  his  son  were 
the  first  to  fall,  as  the  Sionx  had  of  course 
picked  them  out  for  slau,i:»:hter  and  they  were 
killed  almost  before  they  had  dropped  their 
packs  or  were  ready  for  war.  The  old  chief 
had  just  broupfht  his  gun  to  his  face  to  shoot 
when  a  ball  struck  liiin  square  in  the  forehead. 
As  he  fell  dead  his  daughter  fell  beside  him 
and  feigned  death.  At  the  firing  Na-nong-ga- 
bee's  band  swung  out  of  the  trail  to  strike  the 
flank  of  the  Sioux  and  get  behind  them  to  cut 
ofl  their  retreat,  sliould  they  press  forward  or 
make  a  retreat,  but  that  was  not  the  Sioux  in- 
tention. There  was  not  a  great  many  of  them 
and  their  tactics  was  to  surprise  the  band,  get 
as  many  scalps  as  they  could  and  get  out  of  the 
way,  knowing  that  it  would  be  but  the  work  of 
a  few  inoinents,  when  they  would  be  encircled 
by  the  Chippewas.  The  girl  lay  motionless 
until  she  perceived  that  the  Sioux  would  not 
come  down  on  them  en-masse,  wdien  she  raised 
her  father's  loaded  gun  and  killed  a  warrior 
who  was  running  to  get  her  fatJier's  scalp,  thus 
knowing  th?)t  she  had  killed  tlie  slayer  of  her 
father,  as  .  Indian  would  come  for  a  scalp  he 
had  not  earned  himself.  The  Sioux  were  now 
on  the  retreat  and  their  flank  and  rear  were 
being  threatened,  the  girl  picked  up  her  father's 
ammunition  pouch,  loaded  the  rifle,  and  started 
in  pursuit.  Stopping  at  the  body  of  her  dead 
Sioux  she  lifted  his  scalp  and  tucked  it  under 
her  belt.  She  continued  the  chase  with  the 
men  of  hey  band,  and  it  was  two  days  before 
they  returned  to  their  women  and  children, 


*, 


KARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY.  201 

whi(  ]i  they  Imd  left  on  tlie  trail,  and  when  the 
brave  little  heroine  retnrned  nhe  had  added  two 
scaliw  to  the  one  ^he  started  with. 

She  id  now  livinJ^^  or  was,  bvit  a  few  years  ago, 
near  Kiee  Lake,  Wis.,  the  wife  of  Edward 
Dingley,  who  served  In  the  war  of  tlie  rebellion 
from  the  time  of  th  )  first  draft  of  soldiers  to  the 
end  of  the  war.  She  became  his  wife  about 
1857,  and  lived  with  him  until  he  went  into  the 
Service,  and  at  this  time  had  one  child,  a  boy. 
A  short  time  after  he  went  to  the  war  news 
came  that  all  the  party  that  left  Bayfield  at  the 
time  he  did  as  substitutes  had  been  killed  in 
battle,  and  a  year  or  so  after,  his  wife,  hearing 
nothing  from  him,  and  believing  him  dead,  mar- 
ried again.  At  tlie  end  of  the  war  Dingley 
came  back  and  I  saw  him  at  Bayfield  and  told 
him  everyone  had  supposed  him  dead  and  that 
his  wife  had  married  another  man.  He  was 
very  sorry  to  hear  this  news  and  said  he  would 
go  and  see  her,  and  if  she  preferred  the  second 
man  she  could  stay  with  him,  but  that  he  should 
take  the  boy.  A  few  years  ago  I  had  occasion 
to  stop  over  night  with  them,  and  had  a  long 
talk  over  the  two  marriages.  She  told  me  the 
circumstances  that  had  led  her  to  the  second 
marriage.  She  thought  Dingley  dead,  and  her 
father  and  brother  being  dead,  she  had  no  one 
to  look  after  her  support,  otherwise  she  would 
not  have  done  so.  She  related  the  pursuit  of 
the  Sioux  at  the  time  of  her  father's  death  with 
much  tribal  pride,  and  the  satisfaction  she  felt 
at  revenging  herself  upon  the  murderer  of  her  • 
father  and  his  kinsmen.     She  gava  me  the  par- 


202  EARLY   INDIAN  HISTORY. 

ticulars  of  getting  the  two  l^st  scalps  that  she 
secured  in  that  eventful  chase.  The  first  she 
raised  only  a  short  distance  from  the  place  of 
starting  from  a  warrior  she  espied  skulking  be- 
hind a  tree  presumably  watching  for  some  one 
of  her  friends  that  were  approaching.  The 
otlisr  she  did  not  get  until  the  second  day  out 
wh3n  she  discovered  a  Sioux  crossing  a  river. 
She  said:  "The  good  luck  that  had  followed 
me  since  I  raised  my  father's  rifle  did  not  now 
desert  me, "  for  her  shot  proved  a  good  one  and 
she  soon  had  his  dripping  scalp  at  her  belt 
although  she  had  to  wade  the  river  after  it. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


Fathek  Baraga  and  the  Chippewa  Language 
AND  Religion, — Souece  of  the  Relic  dn. — 
Head  of  the  Chippewa  Church. 

Father  Baraga  was  probably  the  best  posted 
man  in  the  Chippewa  language  who  ever  at- 
tempted to  explain  it  and  write  np  their  customs 
am  religious  beliefs,  but  he  fell  into  eiTor.  I 
had  frequent  talks  with  him  about  his  works 
and  he  explained  them  to  me  as  he  understood 
them  and  gave  the  source  of  the  greater  part  of 
his  information.  I  did  not  tell  him  the  source 
of  my  information  and  never  attempted  to  disa- 
buse his  mind  of  the  error.  The  facts  are  that 
the  source  from  which  my  informa^tion  was 
derived  was  the  head  of  the  Chippewa  church, 
while  his  Avas  obtained  from  the  foot  of  it.  For 
mo  to  siiy  that  the  true  Indian  religion  was  a 
secret  from  the  majority  would  be  equivalent 


204  EARLY    INDIAN    HISTORY. 

in  the  mind;-;  of  luost  r)eople  to  i^aying  that  the 

majority  of  IiidiaiiB  did   not  profess  religion. 

While  this  statement  would  be  true   in  part, 

taken  as  a  whole  it  would  be   untrue.      All 

Indians  practiced  the  true  Indian  religion,  but 

the  greater  portion  of  tliem  were  ignorant  of  a 
true  understanding  of  the  ])elief  they  practiced. 
The  more  wise  of  Indian  tribes,  as  well  as  tlie 
greatest  thinkers  of  any  people,  knew  that  the 
majority  are  more  easily  governed  and  ruled 
through  a  belief  of  the  liereafter  than  in  any 
other  way,  and  anything  tliat  was  told  to  this 
majority  by  the  chiefs  and  head  men  as  coming 
from  tradition  affecting  their  hereafter  was 
eagerly  sought  after  and  reverently  cherished. 
It  may  as  well  be  said  that  these  head  men  had 
too  much  wisdom  to  venture  the  whole  truth  to 
the  majority,  lest  they  should  depart  from 
their  teachings,  for  it  is  as  true  as  anything  can 
be  that  had  tlie  more  ignorant,  which  is  the  ma- 
jority of  any  people,  been  made  a  ware  of  the  fact 
as  to  wliat  the  true  belief  was,  that  the  gun  and 
all  the  belongings  of  the  deceased  were  not 
needed  by  him  on  the  trail  to  the  happy  hunt- 
ing grounds,  they  would  no  longer  have  put 
such  things  in  the  grave  and  would  have  ceased 
their  devotion  in  taking  from  a  scanty  supply 
of  provisions  a  part  to  the  grave  of  such  deceas- 
ed. Their  desire  for  the  possession  of  the 
articles  they  burried  and  the  real  want  they 
suffered  in  doing  without  them  would  have 
been  too  strong  a  temptation  for  them  to  resist 
after  tliey  once  knew  that  keeping  and  using 


EARLY   IXDIAX    HISTORY.  205 

them  and   eating  the   food  they  carried  there 

Avoukl  not  imperil  tlie  hereafter  of  their  dead. 

Although  it  is  not  well  known  nor  a  subject 

much  reflected  uix)n  by  white  peopl.e,  yet  it  is  a 

fact  that  Indian  tribes  were  never  well  fed  and 

their  contrivances  wh  ewitli  to  capture  game 
and  impliments  in  general  with  which  to  get 
along  were  always  inadequate  to  their  needs. 
Their  food  was  game,  no  great  quantities  of 
which  could  be  preserved.  They  had  a  way  of 
drying- meat  and  could  thus  k^^ep  it  for  quite  a 
time,  but  it  was  unwholsome  a'ld  they  practiced 
it  but  little.  They  had  rather  take  the  chances 
of  procuring  it  daily  than  to  eat  what  might 
prove  unhealthy.  The  best  fed  Indians  were 
never  as  well  provided  for  in  any  respect  as  the 
poorest  families  of  white  working-men.  This 
knowledge  is  the  result  of  many  years  spent 
among  them.  The  Indians  lived '  a  hard  life 
with  but  little  sunshine  in  it. 

To  return  to  their  religion.  When  an  Indian 
has  shown  himself  capable  of  a  thorough  under- 
standing of  that  part  of  the  religion  that  he  has 
been  entrusted  with,  and  shows  a  sense  sulTi- 
cient  to  overcome  his  natural  earthly  greed  to 
enable  him  to  keep  the  faith,  he  is  allov/ed  to 
go  a  notch  higher  in  the  secret  councils  and  as 
the  head  men  l3ecome  satisfied  that  he  is  pos- 
sessed of  the  true  belief  to  a  degree  that  he 
would  discountenance  any  deviation  from  it  l)y 
others  he  is  taken  along  to  tlie  top  of  the  ladder 
of  secrets  This  is  true  Indian  religion  and  the 
manner  in  which  it  is  practiced,   and  Father 


206  EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 

Baraga's  verpion  of  it  in  so  far  as  it  disagrees 
with  this  is  erroneous.  Nothing  is  put  in  the 
grave  of  the  dead  to  assist  tliem  but  is  put  there 
as  a  sacrifice  on  the  part  of  the  living  and  for 
no  otlier  purpose. 

I  will  now  trespass  on  the  good  nature  and 
patience  of  the  reader  for  the  purpose  of  giving 
a  brief  history  of  one  of  the  islands  belonging 
to  the  Apostle  group,  called  "Hermit's"  Island, 
and  sometimes  called  "Wilson's"  Island,  which 
recieved  its  name  from  the  following  circum- 
stances: 

In  the  year  1845  there  came  and  settled  upon 
this  island  a  man  by  the  name  of  Wilson — his 
first  name  I  have  forgotten.  He  lived  there 
alone,  neither  family  or  neighbor  and  would 
not  allow  anyone  to  land,  using  his  gun  to  en- 
force his  orders  when  necessary.  He,  wounded 
several  people,  but  never  killed  anyone  that  I 
ever  heard  of.  He  had  a  few  friends  he  had 
made  through  dealings  with  them  wdiom  he 
would  allow  on  the  island,  but  they  were  few 
and  such  as  he  had  learned  to  like  and  con- 
sidered his  friends.  He  told  me  stories  of  his 
adveucores  and  claimed  that  he  embarked  with 
the  Hudson  Bay  Company  when  a  boy  and  was 
transferred  from  place  to  place,  even  to  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  but  the  route  he  took  he 
could  not  or  would  not  explain,  but  thought  for 
many  years  he  was  a  life  prisoner  with  them  as 
he  could  see  no  way  to  escape  from  the  com- 
pany. Finally  he  made  his  way  to  Lake  Su- 
perior but  by  what  route  he  was  unable  to  say 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY.  207 

but  btJci  his  sufferings  and  hardships  before 
reaching  the  lake  were  terrible. 

When  I  first  met  him  I  should  judge  he  was 
about  sixty  years  old  and  I  have  often  wished 
I  had  jotted  down  his  stories  for  reference  for 
some  of  them  were  wonderful,  but  as  it  is  I  can 
only  give  a  few  points  that  I  best  remember. 
At  any  rate  he  was  monarch  of  the  island  and 
all  he  surveyed.  He  had  no  pets  except  chick- 
ens and  a  rat  and  would  allow  no  other  animal 
about  him.  He  kept  liquor  by  the  barrel 
though  I  never  saw  him  under  its  influence  and 
never  knew  him  to  offer  a  '  'nk  to  anybody. 
He  ordered  one  barrel  of  .^sky  through  me. 
During  some  of  these  years  I  lived  at  Oak 
Island,  probably  two  and  a  half  miles  from  the 
hermit's  house  by  the  route  we  took  with  our 
boats.  He  sometimes  came  to  my  place  for  a 
visit  but  would  never  stay  more  than  an  hour 
at  a  time.  For  two  or  three  years  I  bought 
what  hay  grew  in  a  little  meadow  back  of  his 
house — a  spot  of  ground  he  had  cleared  up  in 
previous  years  and  used  for  crops  but  had  allow- 
ed to  grow  up  to  grass  and  this  patch  afforded 
about  two  tons  of  hay  a  year.  Through  this 
dealing  with  him  and  his  visits  to  my  house 
there  grew  up  an  acquaintance  which  in  him 
amounted  to  a  friendship  and  he  appeared  to 
look  upon  me  as  the  best  friend  he  had.  At 
the  time  the  barrel  of  liquor  came  that  I  order- 
ed for  him  he  came  to  the  landing  at  my  place 
with  his  boat  for  it  and  after  it  was  loaded  into 
the  boat  he  insisted  on  my  going  with  him  to 
help  get  it  out  of  the  boat,  saying:     ''The  men 


From  one 
and  when 
enough?" 


208  EARLY    INDIAN   HISTORY. 

you  have  offered  to  send  along  I  don't  want, " 
and  continued:  ''I  will  pay  you  for  the  liquor 
over  at  my  house  and  bring  you  back  as  soon  as 
we  have  finished  that  business."  I  went  along 
and  assisted  him  in  unloading  the  barrel  and 
getting  it  ashore  when  he  requsted  me  to  come 
into  his  house  and  he  would  pay  me  for  the 
whiskey.  He  brought  out  either  three  or  four 
bags  of  coin  in  buckskin  and  one  stocking-leg 
filled  with  coin,  and  laid  them  on  the  table, 
he  counted  out  the  money  for  me 
he  had  finished  asked:  "Is  that 
I  told  him  it  was  and  a  little  too 
much  and  gave  hiin  back  some  change,  when 
he  remarked:  "You  nnist  count  those  sover- 
eigns at  five  dollars  apiece;"  to  which  I  replied: 
"Yes;  they  pass  for  that  in  this  part  of  the 
country,  but  could  not  be  banked  for  that." 
He  then  requested  me  to  count  his  money  and 
tell  him  how  much  there  was  of  it,  that  he  might 
know  how  he  was  getting  along  at  his  business, 
which  was  barrel-maker  for  fish  companies.  As 
he  said  this  he  barred  the  door  and  came  back 
to  the  table  where  the  money  laid  and  told  me 
to  go  aliead  I  put  tlie  money  he  had  paid  me 
in  my  pocket  and  proceeded  to  connt  his.  I  put 
each  $100  in  piles,  there  being  about  ?^1,300. 
The  money  consisted  of  gold,  silver,  English 
souvereigns  and  a  few  Mexican  dollars.  After 
the  count  had  been  finished  and  the  money  re- 
turned to  the  bags,  he  unbarred  the  door  and 
said:  "We  will  now  go  back  to  the  boat"  and 
as  I  passed  out  continued  "you  bail  out  the  boat 
and  I  will  be  there  shortly."    He  then  rebarred 


EARLY    INDIAN   HISTORY.  209 

the  door  inside.  I  went  down  to  the  boat  and 
got  the  water  out  and  waited  full  ten  minutes 
before  he  came.  He  rowed  me  to  my  home 
but  did  not  remain  for  any  visit  this  time,  but 
returned  immediately. 

During  1861  my  folks  told  me  they  had  seen 
no  smoke  from  the  old  man's  chimney  for  a  few 
days,  which  had  been  a  common  sight  for  years, 
audit  was  missed  in  that  country  where  neigh- 
bors were  not  plenty.  A  few"  clays  after  this 
it  was  again  reported  that  there  was  no  smoke 
from  the  old  hermit's  chimney.  The  circum- 
stance now  led  me  to  believe  that  something 
had  befallen  the  old  man,  for  he  was  not  in  the 
habit  of  going  away  from  home,  and  I  took  a 
boat  and  a  couple  of  men  and  rowed  over  to  La 
Pointe  to  get  someone  to  go  with  me  an  d  find 
out  what  tlie  trouble  was.  I  found  Judge  Bell 
and  asked  him  if  he  had  seen  Wilson  lately.  He 
answered  that  he  had  not  seen  him  in  two 
months.  Tlien  I  told  him  of  the  circumsta  nee 
of  no  smoke  from  his  house  for  the  past  week  or 
more  and  I  feared  the  old  man  was  sick  or  in 
some  way  disabled.  Tlie  .iudge  got  a  boat  and 
some  men  and  we  went  to  the  old  man's  island 
together  and  found  hi  in  dead  upon  the  floor  of 
his  cabin  and  appearances  indicated  that  he 
had  been  murdered.  I  then  revealed  to  the 
judge  what  1  had  seen  and  done  some  years  be- 
fore at  his  request  and  thought  that  money 
must  be  hidden  somewhere  about  the  house.  The 
judge  and  his  men  instituted  a  search  for  the 
treasure  but  only  found  about  sixty  dollars 
which  was  in  a  box  behind  the  clock  and  was 


210 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 


entirely  hidden  from  Bight  when  the  clock  was 
in  place.  This  money,  together  with  some 
trinkets  and  effects  that  he  had,  the  judge  took 
charge  of,  saying  he  would  give  him  a  decent 
burial  and  pay  for  it  with  the  money  and  the 
remainder  he  would  keep  until  called  for  by  his 
relatives.  Mr.  Wilson  once  told  me  that  he  had 
been  married  and  the  loss  of  his  wife  was  what 
had  driven  him  to  the  life  he  was  leading,  but 
he  did  not  tell  me  any  particulars.  No  one 
ever  appeared  to  claim  a  relationship  and 
nothing  more  is  known  by  the  people  of  Lake 
Superior  of  this  strange  man  or  from  whence  he 
came  except  what  he  told  himself. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


Early  Settlti^:rs  in  the  Lake  Superior  Country 
— John  W.  Bell,  "King  of  the  Apostle 
Islands." —  The  County  of  Ashland  Or- 
ganized. —  The  First  Town  Meeting.  —  The 
First  White  Children  Born  in  Ashland. — 
A  Change  of  Babies. — "Jos."  Austrian  Up 
a  Tree. 

I  cannot  close  this  Avork  without  mentioning 
the  names  of  some  men  who  braved  the  dangers 
of  the  new  west  in  an  early  day  and  who  are  en- 
titled to  the  good  opinion  of  all  who  write  of 
early  days  in  this  country 

John  W.  Bell,  whom  I  met  at  La  Pointe,  the 
first  time  in  1842,  was  a  remarkable  man.  It 
was  just  previous  to  the  treaty  of  that  year  that 
he  related  to  me  some  of  his  past  history.  He 
told  me  he  left  Montreal  at  the  age  of  twelve 
years  and  engaged  with  tlip  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
pany to  stay  until  he  w^as  twenty-one,  and  about 


212  KARLY   INDIAN  UISTOKY. 

the  year  1841  came  to  Lake  Superior  ])ut  how  lie 
came  I  do  not  rememl)er  that  he  told  me.  He 
first  located  at  Iron  River  about  twelve  mileH 
west  of  Ontonagon,  and  there,  as  was  the  usual 
custom,  he  married  a  Chippewa  woman  and  en- 
ga^ed  in  the  coopering  business  in  the  employ 
of  the  American  Fur  Company,  but  did  not  re- 
main there  a  great  while,  but  one  neason,  mak- 
ing barrels  for  malting  fish.  Wlien  I  saw  him 
in  1842  I  tliink  he  had  moved  to  La  Pointe  with 
his  family  and  was  then  engaged  in  a  bakery, 
making  bread  for  the  Indians  from  flour  the 
govenunent  had  sent  for  distribution.  He  re- 
mained at  La  Pointe  until  ne  died,  in  18  j,  dur- 
ing Avhich  time  he  educated  himself  and  for 
many  years  was  lawyer,  judge  and  jury,  for  the 
county  of  La  Pointe,  which  when  first  organ- 
ized was  of  very  large  territory,  and  h'S  title, 
"King  of  the  Apostle  Islands"  was  accepted  by 
*  everbody.  No  one  ventured  or  desired  to  dis- 
pute his  title  or  authority.  He  virtually  con- 
ducted the  whole  business  of  the  county  up  to 
1872,  at  which  time  the  name  of  the  county  was 
clianged  to  Ashland,  and  the  town  of  Ashland 
organized  and  made  the  county  seat. 

The  first  town  meeting  held  in  Ashland  was 
in  the  spring  of  1872,  electing  a  tow^n  board  of 
supervisors,  clerk,  treasurer,  assessor,  etc. 
Hon.  Sam  S.  Fi  field  was  chosen  chairman,  and 
A.  S.  Perinier  and  myself  were  chosen  side  super- 
visors. At  this  time  there  was  $45,000  in  the 
hands  of  Mr.  Bell  as  county  treasurer,  which 
was  to  be  apportioned  to  the  dilferent  towns  in 
the  new  county  as  fast  as  they  were  organized 


EARLY    INDIAN  IIISTOKY.  213 

.mid  the  proportion  of  each  was  ascertained. 
Bnt  as  tlio  now  town  of  Ashland  was  much  in 
need  of  funds  to  carry  on  improvements  it  be- 
came necessary  to  go  to  Judge  Bell  for  relief. 
He  saw  the  situation  but  had  no  authority  to 
divide  tlie  money  without  orders  to  do  so  ac- 
cording to  hiw,  but  finally  said;  "Go  on  with 
your  improvements  and  I  will  lionor  your 
orders  to  the  extent  of  ^10,000,"  and  gave  us 
)?1, ()()()  for  a  school  house  and  ^1,000  for  a  bridge, 
saying  as  he  did  so;  "I  am  oversteping  my 
authority  in  this  matter  but  will  try  and  keep 
the  accounts  straight  until  the  apportionment 
is  made  and  then  deduct  the  amount  tliat  you 
receive  from  the  total  that  sliall  be  apportioned 
to  be'your  due." 

In  a  few  years  thereafter  it  was  thought 
advisable  to  investigate  the  books  and  accounts 
of  Mr.  Bell,  over  which  he  had  exclusive  con- 
trol for  iviany  years.  Experts  were  appointed 
and  this  work  completed  without  finding  any 
considerable  discrepancies  in  them.  The  num- 
ber of  men  in  any  community  is  not  legion  tliat 
would  for  more  than  twenty  years  and  witliout 
a  check  of  any  kinrl  upon  them  leave  to  their 
post<  •ity  the  record  of  a  John  W.  Bell. 

A  case  in  1852  where  he  played  the  part  of 
complaining  witness,  warrant  issuer,  warrant 
server  and  .iudge  on  the  bench  is  worthy  of 
note.  In  that  year  a  man  by  the  name  of 
Wright  came  to  the  islanrl  on  some  business  and 
was  there  several  days  Availing  for  a  boat  to 
take  111 m  to* the  head  of  the  lake.  During  his 
stay  he  became  the  su])ject  for  an  inteii'erence 


214  KAULY    INDIAN    HISTOKY. 

of  the  law  and  the  judge  complained  to  himself 
and  iHHued  the  warrant,  which  he  served  him- 
self,  bringing  the  prisoner  before  his  own 
tril>nnal,  where  he  sentenced  him  to  pay  a  fine 
of  four  hundred  dollars  or  serve  six  months  in 
jail.  He  would  not  pay  the  fine  and  the  judge 
put  him  in  jail  but  it  was  not  properly  provided 
with  looks  and  the  prisoner  escaped.  It  was 
not  very  long  until  he  heard  where  he  had 
gone.  He  followed  him  into  Douglas  county 
where  he  seized  him  and  returned  liim  to  the 
jail  that  he  now  had  provided  with  proper  fast- 
enings where  the  prisoner  remained  until  a  boat 
arrived  at  the  dock,  when  the  judge  discov- 
ered that  the  opening  at  the  jail  that  had  been 
left  for  a  chimney  had  not  been  closed  and'  Mr. 
Wright  was  the  first  man  to  arrive  at  the  dock. 
But  the  judge  was  not  to  be  thus  outwitted  and 
again  seized  his  man  on  board  the  boat,  where 
happened  to  be  a  lawyer  to  whom  the  prisoner 
had  told  his  story,  and  as  the  law^yer  saw  a  loop- 
liole  through  which  he  thought  his  client  could 
escape  prevailed  upon  the  judge  to  reopen  the 
case  and  give  the  man  the  benefit  of  legal 
counsel,  to  which  Mr.  Bell  assented  and  all 
three  marched  to  the  hall  of  justice  where  the 
judge,  good  as  his  word,  re-opened  the  case  upon 
his  books  and  told  tlie  attorney  to  proceed — giv- 
ing the  lawyer  full  use  of  his  stock  of  law  books 
and  precedents.  But  the  lawyer  ignored  them 
all  and  relied  upon  the  one  point  to  clear  his 
client.  He  pointed  out  the  statutes  upon  the 
poinl^he  had  chosen  and  had  the  case  boiled 
down  to  his  own  satisfaction  and  sprung  his 


EARLY   INDIAN"   HISTORY.  215 

point.      "Your  honor!  You  far  exceeded  your 

i'urisdictioii  when  you  went  into  the  county  of 
)ougla3  and  arrested  tliii4  man, 'and  Btrai<?liten- 
ing  himself  up  to  his  full  Iioi^ht  continued,  "you 
cannot  go  into  another  county  and  take  a  nian 
on  your  own  warrant;"  to  which  tlie  .judp:o 
listened  and  then  replied,  "Caift,  eh!  but  I 
did  and  the  man  is  now  in  my  jurisdiction  and 
will  take  the  consequences  of  my  sentence, 
which  I  now  re-affirm." 
[Exit  lawyer  just  in  time  to  catch  the  boat.  1 
In  the  Buinmer  of  1886  the  writer  of  this  work 
went  to  the  home  of  Judge  Bell  at  La  Pointe 
with  the  intention  of  taking  notes  from  his  con- 
versation from  which  to  weave  a  sketch  of  his 
life  but  found  him  a  sufferer  from  an  injured 
limb  and  unable  physically  by  reason  of  this 
and  his  advanced  years  to  submit  to  any  ex- 
tended interview  and  only  took  from  him  a  few 
sentences  wlich  are  here  repeated;  "I  came 
here  from  Montreal  in  1835  with  the  American 
Fur  Company  as  a  cooper.  Great  quanities  of 
fur  were  then  brought  to  this  place  from  all 
parts  of  the  western  country  and  shipped 
to  Montreal.  I  came  here  in  the  brig  John 
Jacob  Astor,  Captain  Standard  (or  Stanard.) 
She  was  built  this  side  of  the  River  Sioux  Her 
frame  was  built  in  Canada  and  put  tip  at  the 
River  Sioux.  I  went  to  Washington  from  here 
with  a  delegation  of  eighteen  Lake  Superior 
Chippewa  chiefs.  I  had  two  or  three  audiences 
with  President  Lincoln.  I  was  in  the  theatre 
when  Lincoln  was  assassinated.  I  put  in  at 
Yv'^ashington  a. claim  in  favor  of  the  Chippewa 


216  EARLY    INDIAN    HISTORY. 

Indians  of  seventy-three  thousand  and  six 
liundred  dollars,  one-lliird  of  which  belonged 
to  the  Mississippi  Chippewas  and  two  thirds  be- 
longed to  the  Lake  Superior  Chippewas  These 
arrearages  are  still  held  back  by  the  govern- 
ment." I  have  an  agreement  with  the  Chippewa 
Indians  which  is  to  allow  me  two  thousand 
dollars  of  this  money  for  my  trouble  and  ex- 
penses on  this  trip  to  Washington.  When  we 
started  on  this  trip  we  walked  from  here  to  Eau 
Claire,  Wis, ,  on  snow  shoes.  We  went  first  to 
T5ad  River  then  to  Leiliy's  farm  at  Lako  Court 
O'Rielles,  from  there  to  Chippewa  Falls,  thence 
to  Eau  Claire  at  which  place  we  got  three  teams 
to  take  us  to  Sparta.  One  Gurneux  was  inter- 
preter on  this  trip.  He  is  now  at  Lake  Court 
O'Rielles,  which  name  means ''Short  Ear"  and 
is  a  Chippewa  name.  The  land  around  the  old 
church  here  w^as  once  tilled.  A  wan  by  the 
name  of  Austrian  owns  about  five-sixths  of  it. 
AVe  once  polled  between  four  and  five  hundred 
votes  liere  and  as  long  ago  as  1856  but  there  are 
not  now  thirty  votes  on  this  island.  We  used 
to  build  boats  here.  This  house  I  now  live  in 
was  built  in  1853  by  David  Oakes.  Dr.  Borup's 
youngest  daughter,  now  living  in  St.  Paul,  was 
born  upon  this  island. 

This  was  all  the  writer  got  from  Mr.  Bell  as  he 
saw  it  was  fatiguing  to  him.  He  was  a  man  of 
very  powerful  frame  and  in  his  prime  must 
have  been  almost  a  giant. 

llie  town  of  Bayfield  was  located  surveyed 
and  platted  in  the  spring  of  '55.  Maj.  ^IcAvoy, 
who  was  the  agent  of  the  town  site    company, 


EARLY    INDIAN    HI^TOKY.  217 

remained  'out  two  years.  A  man  named  Day 
was  another  early  settler  in  Bayfield.  Sage  & 
Mati^ews  were  early  carpenters  there.  The  first 
named  married  a  daughter  of  Ma.j.  MeAvoy  and 
Mathews  married  a  Mrs.  Jeltrey.  Jacob 
Schaefer  was  an  early  settler  there  and  married 
Ann  Steel.  Andrew  Tate  came  in  abo\it  a  year 
later.  James  Cliainiian,  who  recently  died  in 
Bayfield,  came  there  tinite  early.  Asaph  Whit- 
tlesey was  there  early  and  remained  a  resident 
until  he  died.  Samuel  S.  Vauglin  was  one  of 
the  first  settlers  in  Bayfield  and  nuved  to  Ash- 
land in  1872.  Ashland's  first  settlers  were 
headed  by  Martin  Beaser  from  Ontonagon.  It 
has  been  claimed  that  Asaph  Whittlesey  made 
the  first  clearing  in  Ashland  but  only  +'or  a 
building.  George  Kilbourne  was  liere  a.^jut 
the  same  time,  and  Conrad  and  Adam  Groeltz 
and  Martin  Roehm  came  here  about  1854. 
Katie  Goeltz,  now  Mrs.  Ellis,  of  Calumet,  Mich., 
was  the  first  white  girl  born  in  xVsli  land  and  she 
was  presented  with  a  building  lot  by  Martin 
Beaser,  in  rememberance  of  this  distinction  and 
she  still  owns  the  lot.  About  this  time  Edwin 
Ellis  came  and  located  at  the  place  then  called 
Bay  City,  which  is  now  a  part  of  Ashland.  His 
son  Edwin  was  the  first  white  boy  born  here. 

The  mission  was  built  at  Bad  River  about 
1842  by  Leonard  Wheeler,  who  continued  there 
until  1864  or  '65.  Erwin  Leihy  settled  at  the 
falls  of  Bad  River,  bargained  with  and  bought 
out  a  man  by  the  name  of  Wood  who  claimed 
the  falls  property.  He  moved  from  thereto  Bay- 
field about  1870.     Elisha  Pike  settled  about  two 


218 


EARLY    INDIAN   HISTORY. 


and  one-half  miles  south  of  Bayfield  at  what  is 
now  called  Pike's  creek  in  1853  and  bought  the 
mill  property  there  that  was  owned  by  Julius 
Austrian.  Mr.  Pike  built  a  house  on  it  where 
he  lived  until  his  death  about  two  years  ago, 
leaving  a  wife,  son  and  daughter.  His  son  R  D. 
Pike  now  lives  in  Bayfied  and  his  daughter  is 
Mrs.  Bicksler,  of  Ashland. 

While  this  mill  property  was  in  possession  of 
Julius  Austrian  and  quite  out  of  repair  he  bar- 
gained with  me  one  day  to  fix  it  up  and  run  it, 
he  to  furnish  all  supplies  for  logging  and  saw- 
ing for  half  the  lumber  I  could  make.  I  was  to 
do  all  repairing  and  furnish  the  help  for  logging 
and  sawing  for  the  other  half.  At  this  time 
Julius  Austrian  had  a  brother  in  his  employ 
about  fifteen  years  old  who  was  kept  busy  at  any 
odd  jobs  that  he  was  large  enough  to  do.  One 
day  he  was  sent  from  La  Pointe  to  our  mill 
with  a  load  of  supplies.  He  had  quite  a  load  for 
his  one  horse  and  it  was  his  first  trip  over  this 
road,  but  Julius  told  him  there  was  but  one 
road  and  he  could  not  lose  his  way;  to  keep 
across  the  bay  and  then  follow  the  ridge  until 
he  came  to  the  mill.  The  boy's  name  was  '  'Joe. " 
He  did  as  told  and  in  due  time  found  him 
self  at  the  top  of  a  hill  near  the  mill.  The 
mill  set  quile  low  down  in  the  ravine  on  the 
creek  bottom,  the  hill  was  quite  steep  and  the 
slipping  nice.  '  'Joe"  saw  the  hill  was  steep  but 
others  had  been  down  and  he  anticipated  no 
trouble  in  getting  safely  to  the  mill.  His  sled 
was  made  entirely  of  wood  and  with  much  more 
regard  for  strength  and  durability  than  beauty 


f— I 
H 

<1 


CO 

C 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY.  219 

and  was  a  load  of  itself,  the  thills  being  made  of 
ironwood  poles  that  were  at  least  four  inches  in 
diameter  and  turned  out  at  the  ends  thill  fash- 
ion so  as  not  to  injure  the  shoulders  of  the 
horse.  '  'Joe"  started,  the  horse  began  to  move 
slowly,  its  own  instinct  telling  it  tluit  the 
chances  were  not  even  for  getting  to  the  bottom 
of  the  hill  without  a  mishap.  The  load  soon 
proved  too  heavy  for  the  horse  to  hold  back  and 
'  'Joe"  pulled  and  tugged  away  on  the  rope  lines  to 
assist  the  horse  in  holding  the  sled.  *In  doing  so 
he  reined  the  horse  a  little  to  one  side  of  the 
track  where  stood  a  tree  leaning  at  an  angle  of 
about  45  ^  away  from  the  road.  One  thill 
point  hit  the  tree  but  glancing  off  brought  the 
horse  upon  the  tree  roots,  the  load  kept  pushing 
and  the  horse  at  last  was  full  length  upon  the 
tree  and  entirely  off  the  ground.  "Joe"  who  had 
jumped  off  the  load  inflated  his  lungs  and 
whoop  after  whoop  escaped  him  until  the  mill 
stopped  and  all  hands  proceeded  to  the  spot 
where  the  mishap  had  occurred  and  there  "Joe" 
tood  shaking  from  head  to  foot,  a  perfect  pic- 
:ure  of  despair.  The  sled  was  got  away  and  the 
iiorse  rolled  off  the  tre^  but  little  worse  for  the 
accident,  but '  'Joe",  I  dare  say,  ha  s  not  forgotten 
it  and  never  will. 

Joseph  Austrian  is  now  a  resident-of  Chicago, 
111. ,  and  has  been  for  several  years  past.  He 
has  accummulated  a  considerable  fortune,  now 
being  principally  interested  in  the  Austrian- 
Leopold  line  of  steamers  plying  on  the  great 
lakes. 

There  was  another  incident  at  this  mill  that 


220  EARLY  INDIAI^'  HISTORY. 

will  interest  a  few  who  are  still  living.  Henry 
Smitz,  an  old  comrade  of  mine,  was  acting  as 
tail  sawyer  for  me  and  Joseph  Hole,  an  Indian, 
was  taking  the  Inmber  from  the  saAV.  One  day  as 
the  saw  was  nearing  the  iron  dog  that  held  the 
log  in  place  Smitz  having  forgotten  to  get  it  ont 
of  the  way,  and  just  as  the  Indian  was  leaning 
over  to  take  the  slab  the  saw  struck  the  dog  and 
flew  into  a  dozen  pieces  that  went  screeching  in 
as  many  directions.  The  floor  of  the  mill  upon 
which  we  were  was  twenty-flve  feet  above  the 
creek  bed  beneath  us  and  tlie  whizzing  of  the 
broken  saw  so  frightened  tlie  Indian  that  he 
ran  and  jumped  headlong  into  the  creek  below. 
He  was  not  seriously  injured  and  picking  himself 
up  lit  out  for  Bayfield.  Henry  Smitz  afterward 
lived  upon  a  copper  claim  northeast  of  Duluth 
and  had  an  interest  in  a  shingle  mill  at  La 
Pointe  but  removed  his  family  to  Hancock, 
Mich.,  leaving  his  shingle  business  in  the 
hands  of  his  iiartner,  occasionally  return 
ing  to  see  to  it.  He  was  in  business  in  Han- 
cock at  the  time  the  village  was  nearly  destroy- 
ed by  fire  and  his  property  went  with  the  rest 
He  rebuilt  and  was  nicely  started  again  when 
he  came  to  La  Pointe  to  see  to  his  business  in- 
terests, but  just  as  he  reached  the  mill  the 
boiler  exploded,  killing  him  and  several  others 
who  were  working  about  the  place.  His  re- 
mains were  taken  to  Hancock  and  buried. 

In  the  spring  of  1855  M.  H.  Mandlebaum, 
formerly  of  New  York,  but  then  from  Cleve- 
land came  to  La  Pointe  to  take  charge  of  the 
local  business  of  Julius  Austrian.  He  was  cer 
tainly  one  of  the  most  pleasant  men  I  ever  met» 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY.  221 

honest  and  square  in  all  his  dealings.  Fi'om  the 
start  he  ingratiated  liimself  into  the  highest 
regard  and  esteem  of  all  witli  whom  he  had  deal- 
ings. He  was  a  whole-souled,  live  and  let  live 
man  whom  every  one  respected,  but  as  his  motto 

was  to  give  dollar  for  dollar  and  strict  weights 
and  measifi'es,  his  way  of  doing  business  was  not 
in  conformity  with  the  manner  of  doing  things 
that  had  obtained  for  the  past  few  years  in  this 
country  and  his  *place  was  filled  by  another. 
He  was  induced  to  go  to  Bayfield  by  his  friends 
and  became  a  candidate  for  clerk  of  the 
court.  He  accepted  the  nomination  and  was 
elected,  serving  his  term,  after  wliicli  he  was 
urged  to  run  again  but  declined  as  there  was 
not  sufficient  salary  to  the  position  to  suit  his 
ambition.  While  in  the  capacity  of  clerk  a  dis- 
pute arose  between  the  judge  and  liimself  in  re- 
gard to  some  point  in  his  duties  and  Mr.  Maii- 
dlebaum  was  compelled  to  travel  in  the  dead  of 
winter  and  on  foot  to  Superior  and  get  an  attor- 
ney to  defend  him.  He  got  an  attorney,  how- 
ever, his  case  was  tried  and  his  position  vindi- 
cated. Soon  after  this  he  went  below,  bought  a 
stock  of  goods  and  establislied  liimself  in 
business  in  Hancock,  Mich.  In  his  business 
career  here  as  at  La  Pointe  and  Bayfield  he  was 
fully  up  to  the  standard  of  an  honest  man. 
Sickness  and  death  overtook  him  while  in  the 
prime  of  life  and  his  untimely  taking  off  was 
mourned  by  all  who  knew  him.  I  do  not  think 
he  had  an  enemy  in  the  world.  At  his  death  he 
left  a  wife  and  two  or  three  children      A  son 


•222  EARLY   INDIAN  HISTOTIY. 

bears  his   father's    name,  whom  I  met  in  the 
winter  of  1891. 

louring  tlie  stay  of  Mr.  Mandlelmum  at  La 
Pointe  he  was  a  great  favorite  with  the  Indians, 
always  ready  withtricks  and  jokes  to  keep  them 
inhighgk^e — was  greatly  missed  by  them  and 
was  often  inquired  after  by  them  when  Ik;  liad 
gone  to  Hancock.  An  example  of  his  happy 
tnrn  of  mind  and  general  disposition  to  be 
merry  on  festive  occasions  was  exliibited  on  an 
occasion  wiien  a  dancing  party  was  in  progress 
at  Bayfield.  Unknown  to  anyone  lie  suc- 
ceeded in  changing  the  clothing  of  the  babies, 
several  in  nnmber,  that  had  been  brought  there 
by  their  mothers  and  were  sleeping  away  from 
the  noise  of  the  dance,  and  so  completely  dis 
guising  them  that  an  hour  was  spent  before 
every  mother  could  tell  her  own  and  the  merri 
ment  indulged  in  over  this  freak  of  his  imagin 
ation  can  be  pleasantly  recalled  by  a  number  of 
persons  who  are  still  living. 

At  Ontonagon,  the  first  settler  after  tlie  gov- 
ernment had  abandoned  the  fort  at  that  place, 
was  Lathrop  Johnson,  who  purchased  the  build- 
ings formerly  used  by  the  government,  and 
settled  there  about  1844.  About  1847  James 
Paul  come  there  and  claimed  to  own  the  town- 
site,  and  between  him  and  Johnson  there  were 
bitter  feuds  and  disturbances,  which  culminated 
in  the  shooting  of  Paal,  the  shot  coming 
from  a  rear  window  of  Johnson's  house.  Paul's 
breast  was  punctured  with  many  shot  which 
only  went  through  the  flesh,  but  a  more  fright- 
ened man  would  be  hard  to  imagine.     John 


EARLY    INDIAN   HISTORY.  223 

son  was  put  on  trial  charged  with  the  crime,  but 
the  only  witness  who  saw  the  shooting  was  a 
Cornishman  who  boarded  with  Johnson  and  it 
was  evident  that  he  did  not  care  to  see  Johnson 
convicted  for  all  the  evidence  he  would  give 
was  "I  saw  the  shot  fired  but  faith  I  cannot  say 
whether  he  or  she  eiid  it."  The  first  to  locate 
at  Portage  Lake,  Mich. ,  was  the  firm  of  Douglas 
&  Sheldon  and  the  first  at  Marquette,  in  the 
iron  district,  was  Bob  G-ra^erot  about  18^4. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


Early   Settlers   of   the    Chippewa  Valley. — 
.     The   First    Lumberman   at   Hudson,    Wis. — 
West  Superior's  Earliest  Settlers. — Sailor 
Jack  and  His  Partner. — An   Early   Execu- 
tion. 

Of  my  first  acquaintances  in  the  Chippe- 
wa Valley,  in  18J:0,  I  wish  to  mention  James 
Page,  a  man  much  noted  for  his  femhiine  voice. 
He  was  the  first  lumberman  on  Willow  river,  at 
Hudson,  Wis.  James  Perrington  was  another 
of  the  first.  Blake  &  Grreely  also  came  there 
about  the  same  time.  Asa  Parker,  of  the  Ma- 
rine Mill  Co.,  was  another  early  settler.  Tay- 
lor &  Furber  were  there  early. 

Joshua  Taylor,  of  this  firm,  is  still  living,  and 
the  winter  of  1890  and  '91  he  spent  with  his 
niece,  Mrs.  D.  G.  Sampson,  at  Ashland,  Wis. 
He  is  now  seventy-five  years  old. 

Elam  Cfreely,  of  the  firm  of  Blake  <fe  Greely, 


EARLY    INDIAN    HISTORY. 


225 


continued  in  the  lumber  business  until  his 
death  about  two  years  ago  at  Stillwater,  Minn. 

Moore  &>  Loomia  were  there  also,  the  firm 
consisting  of  Martin  Moore  and  Burton  Loomis, 
the  former  from  the  state  of  Maine  and  the 
latter  from  Alton,  111.  I  was  personally  ac- 
quainted with  Mr.  Moore  and  his  three  broth- 
ers and  his  sister,  who  is  now  Mrs.  R.  W. 
French,  of  Ashland,  Wis.  The  names  of  the 
brothers  were  Horace,  William  and  John.  The 
former  of  these  two  1  found  during  the  summer 
of  1844,  sick  in  a  hay  meadow  on  Snake  River, 
suffering  from  cholera  or  cholera  morbus.  I 
did  what  I  could  for  him  and  started  to  take 
him  below,  but  he  died  before  we  reached  Still- 
water. Capt.  William  Moore,  another  of  the 
brothers  died  in  Bayfield.  I  was  acquainted 
with  him  and  it  was  at  Bayfield  that  I  first  met 
his  sister,  now  Mrs.  R.  W.  French.  Martin 
Moore,  after  severing  his  connection  with  the 
finn  of  Moore  &  Lormis,  built  what  was  known 
as  the  Areola  Mill,  about  six  miles  down  the 
river  from  the  Marine  Mill.  He  operated  it  un- 
til his  death,  and  w^as  also  heavily  interested  in 
the  boom  company.  He  lived  to  be  fully  seventy 
years  old  and  was  unmarried.  He  left  a  fort- 
une of  about  $100,000.  John  Moore  died  six  or 
eight  years  ago  in  Stillwater,  Minn. ,  leaving  a 
wife  and  four  or  five  children.  Mrs.  R.  W. 
Fi'ench  is  now  the  only  living  member  of  that 
family  that  I  know  of. 

William  Oolby  was  an  early  settler.  He 
came  to  St.  Croix  in  1840  or  1841  and  has  re- 
mained there  ever  since.    He  married  a  daugh- 


226  EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 

ter  of  Mr.  DeAtley,  and  I  had  the  pleasure  of 
attending  his  wedding,  one  occurrence  at  which 
I  will  mention:-  A  serenading  party  undertook 
to  force  their  way  into  the  house  during  the 
ceremony  and  Mr.  Colby  hurled  a  table  at  the 
leader  which  broke  his  arm  and  otherwise  in- 
jured him,  but  it  put  a  stop  to  their  further  un- 
invited ceremonies. 

The  company  that  built  the  Osceola  mills  in 
'44  at  Osceola,  Wis. ,  was  composed  of  William 
Kent  and  William  Mahoney,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Kent  &  Mahoney.  They  also  had  a 
silent  partner  by  the  name  of  Walker,  who  was 
a  brother  of  Oi'ange  Walker,  of  the  mill  firm  of 
Walker,  Berklow,  Parker  &  Berkey. 

A  Mr.  Hungerford  was  the  first  settler  and 
rightfully  owned  the  property  known  as  St. 
Croix  Falls,  on  the  Wisconsin,  side  but  as  I  un- 
derstand was  since  beaten  out  of  it  by  Caleb 
Cusliing,  of  Boston. 

Mr.  James  Perrington  was  drowned  in  what 
is  now  called  Apple  River  Falls.  He  had  form- 
erly been  the  agent  of  the  St.  Croix  Falls  Com- 
pany, but  was  relieved  from  this  duly  by  the 
appointment  of  a  man  named  Perkins,  who  was 
also  drowned  while  engaged  in  repairing  the 
dam  at  St.  Croix  Falls. 

The  McCusick's  were  also  early  settlers,  com- 
ing in  about  1840  or  41.  John,  Jonathan, 
William  and  Jott,  who  perhaps  may  now  all  be 
living  except  Jott. 

Jessie  Taylor  was  an  early  settler  and  located 
at  a  place  now  known  as  Taylor's  Falls,  where 
he  began  the  foundation  for  a  mill  at  the  head 


•^jw^jpi'w. 


EAKLY   INDIAN    HISTOllY.  227 

of  the  della,  but  abandoned  it  and  the  property 
went  into  the  hands  of  Joshna  Taylor,  who  if3 
still  living  at  that  place. 

A  man  by  the  name  of  Tuttle  settled  early  at 
the  first  falls  above  the  big  falls  on  the  St. 
Croix  River,  and  the  village  derived  its  name 
from  his  getting  upset  in  a  boat  in  an  eddy 
below  the  falls  where  he  eame  near  being 
drowned. 

William  Vincent,  was  also  a  inoneer  in  that 
country  and  married  a  dauKlitm"  Df  a  Mr. 
North. 

Mr.  Patridge  was  an  early  bird  and  the  village 
of  Quailville  was  named  for  him.  It  is  near 
Tuttle's  Falls  and  it  was  called  by  that  name 
rather  than  call  it  Patridgeville. 

John  and  Grin  Weymouth  were  there  also. 

B.  T.  Otice  died  here  as  did  also  William 
Holmes,  Thomas  Bishop  and  Doaue  Porter. 
Some  relatives  of  the  latter  I  met  afterward  in 
Quincy,  111.     . 

Joseph  Bowron  was  an  early  settler  at  St. 
Croix  Falls,  and  an  acquaintance  of  mine,  and 
was  a  man  very  liighly  esteemed  for  his  many 
good  qualities. 

I  recall  no  more  who  were  among  the  settlers 
prior  to  1845,  those  corni*  g  after  that  were  not 
called  early  or  old  settlers.  From  1840  to  1844 
my  time  was  spent  more  or  less  in  roving 
around  the  country  from  St.  Croix  Falls  to  Lake 
Superior  and  beyond,  to  the  source  of  the 
Mississippi  and  was  located  in  Minnesota  when 
Ramsey  was  elected  governor. 

At  West  Superior  Capt.  Holcomb  and  the 


228 


EARLY   INDIANn HISTORY. 


Newton's  and  Washington  Ashton  were  among 
the  first.  Mr.  Ashton  edited  the  first  news- 
paper published  there.  Capt.  Markland,  of 
Kentucky  and  George  Perry  were  also  early  in 
West  Superior. 

One  fall  when  I  was  trading  at  Nimakagon  a 
a  messenger  came  to  me  from  St.  Croix  Falls 
and  said  I  was  wanted  to  interpret  and  ferret 
out  a  murder  that  had  taken  place  on  the  trail 
between  St.  Croix  Falls  and  Balsam  Lake. 
Wher  I  arrived  there  I  was  told  that  Sailor 
Jack  and  his  partner,  two  traders,  had  been 
iHurdered  but  whether  by  white  men  or  Indians 
was  the  question  to  be  solved.  Blood  had  been 
found  in  their  yard  and  upon  their  door  step 
and  the  bodies  subsequently  found  in  a  lake  not 
far  from  their  cabin.  These  two  men  were 
known  by  the  names  here  given  and  no  other 
and  had  established  themselves  as  traders. 

The  man  who  was  acting  as  justice  of  the 
peace  at  St.  Croix  Falls  at  this  time,  whose 
name  I  cannot  recall,  desired  me  to  look  up  the 
Indian  side  of  the  question  as  I  could  talk  their 
language.  I  told  him  I  would  try  it  as  far  as 
the  Indians  might  be  concerned  in  the  matter, 
but  if  it  should  appear  that  white  men  had  done 
the  deed  it  belonged  to  the  white  officers  to  look 
it  up.  The  justice  directed  me  to  a  trader  who 
had  some  dealings  with  these  two  men  and  I 
found  there  that  he  had  sold  to  Sailor  Jack  a 
pair  of  pants  with  his  own  name  on  the  waiste 
band;  that  these  men  used  a  gun  quite  different 
from  any  other  then  known  in  that  vicinity.  I 
began  my  search  in  the  Indian  camp  near  by 


EAKLY   INDIAN   HISTORY.  229 

and  worked  back  without  any  success  until  I 
had  reached  Balsam  Lake.  Here  was  located 
about  twenty  wigwams  around  the  trading 
house  of  Fred  Miller.  I  pretended  to  be  buy- 
ing furs  and  skins  and  thus  got  easy  access  to 
the  lodges.  My  first  discovery  was  the  breech 
of  a  gun  sticking  out  from  under  some  bed- 
ding, which,  upon  examination,  proved  to  be  the 
one  I  was  looking  for,  and  I  had  the  good  luck 
to  find  the  pants,  with  the  trader's  name  still 
on  the  waiste  band,  in  the  same  lodge.  This 
was  evidence  enough  and  I  went  to  the  chief 
and  inquired  if  he  knew  who  had  killed  Sailor 
Jack  and  his  partner.  He  hesitated  but  finally 
said  the  man  who  did  it  did  not  properly  belong 
to  his  band.  If  he  did  he  would  give  him  up; 
that  he  had  come  to  him  from  the  Hudson  Bay 
country.  I  told  him  I  was  there  in  the  interest 
of  the  li:  lians  and  as  their  custom  had  always 
been  to  give  up  murderers  I  thought  it  was  best 
for  his  people  to  give  this  man  up  also.  All 
this  he  acknowledged,  knowing  who  the  man 
was,  and  said  I  had  better  get  help  before  try- 
ing to  take  him  as  he  was  a  desperate  man.  Hi& 
name  was  Belcore.  He  said  the  Indians  should 
not  interfere  in  either  way,  although  this  man's 
squaw  was  one  of  their  people.  I  went  back  to 
St.  Croix  Falls  and  got  assistaiio^.  Geo. 
Aikens  and  Walter  Carrier  went  back  to 
Balsam  Lake,  and  that  we  night  walked  into 
Belcore's  lodge  and  found  our  man  rolled  up  in 
his  blanket.  I  pounced  upon  him,  telling  the 
two  other  men  to  look  out  for  the  squaw,  as  she 
W;    likely  to  use  her  club  or  knife  upon  us.  She 


'' 


230  EARLY  ii:dian  history. 

fought  hard  for  her  man  but  Yre  succeeded  in 
tying  him  with  cords  and  stayed  in  camp  until 
daylight.  We  charged  him  with  the  murder 
and  told  him  what  we  were  going  to  do  with 
him,  and  asked  him  what  he  had  to  say.  He 
denied  it  all.  I  then  asked  him  where  he  got 
the  gun  and  pants  and  he  said  he  had  bought 
them.  He  frequently  told  his  wife  to  get  the 
Indians  to  come  and  liberate  him  but  no 
Indians  came.  We  would  not  allow  the  squaw 
to  leave  the  lodge  during  the  night,  not  for  fear 
she  would  get  help,  but  for  fear  she  might  arm 
herself  and  make  an  attempt  to  liberate  the 
man.  We  started  with  the  prisoner  at  daylight 
for  the  falls,  followed  by  the  Indians.  At  times 
he  would  refuse  to  walk  and  we  would  drag 
him  until  he  .v^as  glad  to  walk.  By  the  time 
we  reached  the  spot  where  the  execution  was  to 
take  place,  full  three  hundred  Indians  were  on 
hand,  but  all  remained  peacable  until  the  rope 
was  put  around  bis  neck,  then  they  objected  to 
his  being  hung;  they  wanted  him  shot  as  he  had 
shot  the  men.  But  the  lieadstrong  leader  of  our 
party,  a  mau  named  Anson  Northrop,  declared 
that  Belcore  should  hang  and  the  Indians  made 
no  further  objection.  When  the  culprit  found 
that  he  must  hang  he  made  a  full  confession 
and  said  he  had  shot  the  men,  one  in  the  yard 
and  the  other  ou  the  doorstep,  and  said  that 
Fred  TJiller  had  ofTered  him  ten  gallons  of 
whiskey  to  do  the  joh.  Fred  Miller  was  then 
brought  before  the  mob  and  sentenced  to  re- 
ceive thirty-nine  hishes  on  the  bare  back. 
Tweivo  black  birch  tpxouts  were  brought  for 


Justice  Under  an  Indian  Law. 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY.  231 

the  whipping  and  Pat  Collins  was  appointed  to 
do  the  business  and  was  told  by  the  party  that 
any  blow  to  which  he  failed  to  give  full  force 
would  be  given  to  himself  by  the  mob,  and  you 
can  judge  what  a  whipping  the  man  got.  After 
the  whipping  he  was  cut  loose  and  given  twelve 
hours  in  which  to  put  as  much  teritory  as  he 
could  between  himself  and  St.  Croix  Falls,  and 
he  made  good  use  of  time,  you  can  rest  assured. 
The  Inian  was  given  five  minutes  to  speak  after 
witnessing  the  whipping  from  the  barrel  on 
which  he  had  been  placed.  He  gave  his  people 
some  good  advice,  after  which  the  barrel  was 
kicked  from  under  him  and  he  was  soon 
strangled  to  death.  The  Indians  quietly  dis- 
persed and  never  made  any  complaint  except  as 
to  the  mode  of  execution. 

While  I  lived  near  Pocagemah  Lake,  Pat 
Collins,  whose  name  appears  as  the  whipper  at 
the  execution  of  Belcore,  established  a  whiskey 
shop  in  a  lumber  camp  ouce  occupied  by  Elam 
Greeley.  It  was  situated  about  two  miles  above 
Pocagemah  Lake,  on  Snake  River.  At  this 
particular  time  he  1  "d  on  hand  three  full  bar- 
rels of  whiskey  besides  the  one  he  had  on  tap, 
which  had  been  made  from  alcohol.  This 
supply  he  expected  to  sell  during  the  coming 
winter.  About  the  first  of  November  Collins 
left  the  shanty  in  charge  of  his  Indian  wife  and 
a  boy  about  fifteen  years  old,  named  Ira  Slay- 
ton.  He  liad  only  been  gone  from  the  place  a 
few  hours  when  three  Indians  appeared  and 
demanded  whiskey  of  the  boy,  which  he 
refused  to  give  them.     They  went  away  saying 


232  EABLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 

they  would  get  their  guns  and  kill  him  if  he 
did  not  comply.  As  soon  as  they  were  gone  the 
bc^  closed  the  door  and  pulled  in  the  latch 
string.  The  Indians  returned  shortly  and  be- 
gan firing  through  the  door,  one  bullet  clipping 
a  lock  of  hair  from  the  head  of  Mrs.  Collins. 
The  woman  and  the  boy  now  got  close  to  the 
log  walls  to  escape  the  balls,  the  boy  getting 
close  to  the  side  of  the  door,  and,  provided  with 
the  gun  belonging  to  Collins,  stood  ready, 
should  the  door  come  open,  to  sell  himself  as 
dearly  as  possible.  Soon  a  bullet  struck  the 
latch  and  knocked  it  off  and  as  the  door  came 
open  the  boy  fired,  sending  the  top  of  one 
Indians  head   to  the  happy  hunting  grounds. 


rry 


he  other  two  ran  for  assistance  and  the  boy 
skipped  and  got  safely  to  St.  Croix  Falls.  The 
Indians  went  back  to  the  shanty  in  large 
numbers.  Surrounding  it  they  broke  in  the 
heads  of  the  barrels  and  soon  were  beastly 
drunk.  They  came  to  my  place  about  mid-night 
and  demanded  the  boy,  supposing  he  would 
come  to  me  for  protection.  I  was  ignorant  at 
the  time  of  what  had  taken  place  and  did  not 
know  what  they  had  come  for  until  they  asked 
for  the  boy.  I  then  faced  about  100  drunken 
Indians,  yelling  and  whooping  with  all  the 
vigor  of  their  nature.  I  put  on  a  bold  front 
and  demanded  to  know  what  the  row  was  about. 
"I  never  sold  any  whiskey  to  any  of  you,  nor 
will  I  harbor  anyone  who  will,  and  I  know 
nothing  of  the  boy."  Nevertheless  they  asked, 
yes,  demanded  the  right  to  search,  when  I 
selected  two  whom  I  told  might  look  around  as 


I 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 


233 


much  as  tliey  liked.  They  did  so  and  reported 
to  the  mob  that  the  boy  could  not  be  found. 
They  then  searched  the  barn  where  I  kept  horses 
for  luinbermein  and  concluded  they  were  on  the 
wrong  track,  and  gradually  went  back  to  the 
whiskey  shop,  where  they  remained  until  all  the 
runners  they  had  sent  out  for  the  boy  had  re- 
turned. That  night  they  had  a  number  of  ugly 
fights  among  themselves  and  animosities  engen- 
dered there  resulted  in  many  fights  and  killings 
years  afterward. 

When  tliey  received  the  news  that  the  boy 
had  escaped  by  way  of  St.  Croix  Falls  they  gave 
up  the  hunt  for  him,  but  always  claimed  the 
whites  ought  to  surrender  the  boy  to  them. 

This  was  the  first  and  only  time  while  among 
the  Indians  that  I  was  frightened  and  had  they 
been  sober  I  should  have  had  no  fear  on  this 
occasion.  The  Indian  that  the  boy  killed  was 
^,  nephew  of  Chief  Bi-a-jek,  and  after  the  excite- 
ment had  cooled  down  somewhat  the  old  chief 
came  to  me  in  person  and  asked  if  I  would  make 
a  rude  coffin  and  go  with  him  to  bury  the  boy, 
which  I  did.  The  funeral  was  held  between 
Pocagemeh  and  Cross  Lake.  Gun,  pipe  and  all 
trinkets  were  buried  with  him,  not  because  he 
would  want  them  in  the  happy  hunting  grounds 
but  because  they  were  his  own  and  no  one  had 
a  right  to  use  them  after  him. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


A  MUEDER  ON  A  TrIAL  AT  YeLLOW  LaKE. — YeT  A 

Mystery. — Collar  ajstd  Sleeve  Buttons  op  the 

Murdered  Man. — An    Introduction    to    the 

Bear  Family. 

In  1855  a  man  named  McEwen  came  to  me  at 
La  Poiiite  wlip  told  me  he  was  from  California 
formerly,  but  was  then  located  at  St.  Paul;  that 
he  had  been  prospecting  through  this  part  of 
the  country  for  some  time  for  the  purpose  of 
finding  a  suitable  location  for  business  and  to 
buy  real  estate  but  as  the  weather  was  becom- 
ing unfavorable  for  this  work  he  had  resolved 
to  return  to  St.  Paul  and  wanted  to  know  if  I 
could  furnish  a  couple  of  good  reliable  men  to 
pilot  him  as  far  as  Yellow  Lake,  for  when  once 
there  he  could  get  on  alone  over  old  lumber 
roads  to  St.  Paul.  I  furnished  him  with  two  men 
whom  I  considered  reliable.  They  were  two 
half  breeds  by  the  name  of  Gostelang,   their 


EARLY   I:N^DIAN   HISTORY. 


235 


first  names  being  Belamy  and  Batese,  and  it 
transpired  that  they  did  their  duty  and  left 
McEwen  at  Yellow  Lake  all  right,  at  a  stop- 
ping place  kept  by  Joseph  Cobaux  (or  Cavil- 
lion),  and  that  JVlcEwen  remained  at  this  place 
two  nights  and  a  day.  I  further  ascertained 
that  Cobaux  advised  McEwen  not  to  follow  the 
tote  road  as  he  had  intended  but  to  go  by  trail 
to  Clam  Lake  and  from  there  to  Wood  Lake,  as 
it  "SYOuld  shorten  the  distance  some  ten  or  twelve 
mih^s  and  tliat  he  would  send  a  man  with  him 
as  a  pilot  until  he  slumld  again  come  to  the  tote 
road,  which  he  would  do  at  a  place  called 
Knute  Anderson's  Meadow.  Subsequent  events 
show  that  McEwen  took  this  advi&^e  but  he  was 
never  again  seen  alive  by  his  friends. 

It  seems  that  McEwen  had  written  to  a 
partner  of  his  in  St.  Paul  prior  to  his  departure 
that  he  would  arrive  there  about  a  certain 
time,  and  that  his  partner  had  become  anxious 
about  him  after  the  time  had  expired.  He 
wrote  to  me.  I  answered  him  telling  all  I 
could,  which  was  his  start  and  arrival  at  Yellow 
Lake.  In  a  short  time  after  this  friend  of 
McE wen's,  .whose  name  I  cannot  remember, 
came  to  La  Pointe  to  ferrit  out  the  mystery.  I 
gave  him  what  information  I  could  and  he  set 
out,  promising  to  let  me  know  from  Yellow 
Lake  what  success  he  was  having.  He  did  so, 
saying  that  McEwen  had  arrived  at  Yellow  Lake 
and  remained  there  two  nights  and  the  men 
that  I  had  sent  returned  the  next  morning.  I 
then  sent  two  men  to  Yellow  Lake,  who  could 
talk  both  English  and  Chippewa,  and  instructed 


236 


EARLY   INDIAN  HISTORY. 


them  to  talk  with  whites  and  Indians  and  get 
all  the  information  they  could  and  the  route  he 
had  taken  and  follow  it  and  find  out  if  possible 
what  had  became  of  the  man.  They  ascertained 
at  Yellow  Lake  from  the  Indians  that  Cobaux 
had  sent  a  man  with  him  by  way  of  Clam  Lake 
trail.  The  men  followed.  At  Clam  Lake  they 
found  where  they  had  a  fire  and  had  cooked  a 
meal.  The  next  sign  they  found  was  at  Wood 
Lake  where  they  had  occupied  an  old  lumber 
camp.  Here  they  found  blood  stains  but  a 
thorough  search  of  the  camp  only  revealed  a 
tin  box  in  which  McEwen  had  carried  his 
papers  and  minutes  of  land  decriptions.  The 
streams  and  lakes  were  now  frozen  over  and 
snow  had  fallen  and  further  search  had  to  be 
abandoned  until  spring.  A  search  was  insti- 
tuted then  which  resulted  in  finding  his  body 
in  a  little  lake  at  the  head  of  Wood  Lake 
proper.  The  head  had  been  cut  with  an  axe 
or  hatchet  on  the  back  part  of  it.  Nothing  by 
which  he  could  be  identified  was  left  except  his 
clothing.  His  collar  button  and  shirt  studs  and 
a  valuable  finger  ring,  which  he  told  me  were 
made  of  gold  he  had  dug  himself,  were  missing. 
I  do  not  think  McEwen  had  any  money  about 
him  except  what  might  have  been  left  from  ten 
dollars  which  he  borrowed  from  me.  The  collar 
button  and  shirt  studs,  or  similar  ones,  were 
afterward  seen  in  a  shirt  worn  by  a  trader  at 
St.  Croix  Falls,  but  there  being  no  one  who 
could  identify  them  to  a  certainty,  we  were 
compelled  to  be  satisfied  with  our  own  conclus- 
ions, but  from  what  we  had  seen  of  them  and 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY.  237 

what  he  had  said  of  them,  we  were  more  than 
satisfied  that  they  were  the  property  of  Mr. 
McEwen. 

In  the  sprng  of  1841  my  first  real  good  intro 
troduction  to    the  bear  family  took  place,     It 

was  in  the  logging  camp  of  Mr.  Page  and  less 
than  one  mile  from  the  present  city  of  Hudson, 
Wis.  The  camp  had  bet  <i  pretty  well  cleared 
out  of  its  supplies,  they  having  been  moved 
down  to  the  place  where  the  drive  would  begin. 
Only  a  few  papers,  scalers  rule  and  time  book 
and  a  keg  part  full  of  molasses  were  left  behind. 
One  afternoon  after  the  landings  had  been 
broken  and  booming  about  completed,  Mr.  Page 
requested  me  to  take  a  man  and  go  to  the  camp 
and  return  in  the  morning,  bringing  the  rule 
and  papers  and  have  the  man  bring  along  the 
keg  of  molasses.  I  took  a  young  Indian  about 
twenty  years  of  age,  named  Wa-sa-je-zik,  and 
started  for  the  camp.  It  was  nearly  dark  when 
we  started  and  we  had  a  mile  to  walk  over  a 
muddy  trail.  The  boy  stripped  some  birch  bark 
from  an  old  wigwam  near  the  road  and  made  a 
torch  to  use  as  a  light  when  we  reached  the 
shanty.  When  near  he  handed  me  the  torch 
and  picked  up  some  wood  to  make  a  fire.  I  lit 
the  torch  at  the  cabin  and  found  the  door 
partly  open  but  went  in  followed  by  the  boy 
who  closed  the  door  as  he  came  through  and 
dashed  his  armful  of  wood  down  at  the  fire 
place.  At  this  we  heard  a  rush  along  side  the 
eamp  at  our  left  that  nearly  scared  the  life  out 
of  us  and  raising  the  torch  we  beheld  two  bears, 


288  EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 

who  had  doubtless  been  attracted  to  the  cabin 

by  the  scent  of  the  molasses.     They  made  a  rush 

for  the  door  where  they  entered  but  It  was 

closed  and  wheeling  about  they  faced  us,  their 

eyes  shining  with  a  lustre  that  we  w^ould  much 

rather  have  seen  in  a  painting. 

But  we  w^ere  there;  no  door  but  the  one  the 
bears  were  guarding  and  no  window  wh^^re  we 
could  escape.  We  stood  like  statues  for  awhile 
eyeing  our  companions,  wdiile  the  torch  was  fast 
burning  away.  The  roof  was  made  of  shakes 
and  the  eaves  were  about  four  feet  from  tlie 
ground.  Escape  we  must  or  we  would  soon  be 
in  the  dark  with  our  black  companions.  We 
expected  every  moment  to  be  pounced  upon.,  for 
every  spring  bears,  as  a  usual  thing,  are  very 
hungry.  It  occurred  to  me  that  perhaps  I  could 
move  the  shakes  enough  to  crawl  through  and 
handing  the  now  shortened  torch  to  the  boy  and 
at  the  same  time  instructing  him  to  keep  it 
waving  to  hold  bruin  at  bay,  I  made  a  dash  for 
tire  shakes  aad  soon  had  a  hole  through  which  I 
could  crawl  and  did  crawl  and  shouted  to 
Wa-sa-je-zik  to  come.  The  lad  went  through 
that  hole  like  an  arrow,  and  he  w^ns  none  to 
quick,  for  the  bear  espied  the  light  of  Heaven 
through  the  hole  ihad  made  and  dashed  for  it, 
but  missed  his  footing  and  fell  back.  By  this 
time  we  had  the  shakes  kicked  back  to  place 
and  Messrs.  Bruin  were  our  prisoners.  We 
camped  outside  that  night  and  in  the  morning 
got  a  rifle  and  killed  them  both.  We  took  the 
hides  and  the  best  of  the  meat  to  the  bcvs  on 


HMmNm 


Imprisoned  with  Two  Bp:aks. 


■■«!-■ 


EARLY   INDIAN  HISTORY.  239 

the  drive  and  had  a  regular  jow-wow  and  feapt 
to  celebrate  our  adventure. 

I  had  several  experiences  with  bear  after  this 
but  never  again  was  caught  in  their  den.  A 
black  bear  is  harmless  except  when  wounded  or 
cornered  and  then  they  are  a  wicked  foe.  I 
once  wounded  one  and  before  I  could  reload  my 
gun  he  was  almost  upon  me  and  we  had  a  lively 
promenade  ?)  round  an  old  pine  stub  until  I  got 
my  hunting  hatchet  from  my  belt  and  dealt  him 
several  blows  when  he  gave  up  the  fight  and  we 
had  no  quarrel  over  gate  receipts.  He  started 
away  uttering  an  occasional  growl.  I  picked  up 
my  gun  and  finished  loading  it  and  I  soon  had 
his  hide  as  a  trophy. 

I  did  not  meet  Wa-sa-,je-zik  again  until  two  or 
three  years  ago  when  I  met  him  at  Granite  Falls, 
on  the  Mississippi.  He  recognized  me  at  once 
and  began  to  relate  the  story  and  it  seemed  like 
meeting  a  long  lost  brother,  when  our  encounter 
with  the  bears  had  been  revived. 


CHiVPTER  XVIII. 


The  Beginning  of  Indian'  Troubles.  —  Their 
Wars  and  the  Causes. — Extermination  of  the 
"Red  Men." — Before  the  Settlement  of  the 
"New   Continent"  by  the    Whites. — Spirit- 

-   UALISM  and  "MaN-E-TO-CA-SO-AH-MIN-E." 

Now  I  Avill  venture  some  opinions  of  my  own 
that  to  me  amount  to  certainties.  It  is  genc^r- 
ally  believed  by  tliinking  people  that  wp.rs 
were  frequent  in  this  country  between  rival 
tribes  of  Indians  before  the  discovery  by  Col- 
umbus. I  cannot  dispute  it,  but  knowing  so 
well  the  causes  that  liavo  led  to  wars  since  1835, 
and  what  I  have  learned  by  tradition  and  ex 
perience,  I  am  forced  to  believe  that  if  any  such 
wars  were  had  they  must  have  been  unfrequent. 
I  am  fully  convinced  by  old  Indian  tradition 
that  disturbances  between  tribes  before  white 
men  were  known  on  this  continent  only  oc- 
curred when  disputes  over  teritory  could  not  be 
settled  by  council.     I  also  believe  that  previous 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY.  241 

to  1492  the  whole  country  that  is  now  the 
United  States  and  territories  were  completely 
inhabited  throughout  by  Indians  and  that  dif- 
ferent tribes  liad  large  areas,  probably,  in  some 
cases  as  large  as  half  a  dozen  of  our  present 
states;  that  tliey  had  boundary  lines  described 
by  rivers,  lakes  and  mountnins,  and  that  each 
and  every  boundary  was  known  to  all  tlie  other 
tribes.  As  the  persuit  of  game  was  their  chief 
vacation  it  was  necessary  that  their  boundaries 
should  be  somewhat  extended. 

Since  I  have  known  tliem  they  would  never 
settle  down  in  the  haunts  of  tlie  largest  game, 
but  two  or  three  miles  from  their  choicest  hunt- 
ing grounds,  and  in  some  locality  where  there 
was  plenty  of  wood  and  water  and  on  some  high 
and  healthy  spot.  Their  care  was  not  to  un- 
necessarily dii^turb  their  game  as  they  desired  it 
to  multiply  and  be  food  for  Indians  forever. 
Now  when  white  men  came  in  fromEuroiJotliey 
must  have  an  al)iding  place  and  wh(n*e  could  it 
be  except  in  the  dominion  of  some  Indian  tri))e 
and  as  immigration  swelled  tiieir  ranks  the 
Indians  must  move  back.  They  could  not 
move  back  far  before  they  began  to  encroach 
upon  the  rights  and  possession  of  another  tribe, 
and  riglit  here  in  my  opinion  the  Indian  wars 
began  and  the  same  cause  cvlntinuiiig  could 
only  produce  the  same  ellect  and  in  greater  pro- 
portion, as  the  country  settled  up  from  east  to 
west.  The  wliole  front  of  a  dozen  or  more 
tribes  were  assailed  at  the  same  time.  Small 
tribes  soon  dwindled  away  or  were  merged  into 
other  and  stronger  ranks,  until  only  a  few  tribes 


ftt*.r 


242 


EARLY    INDIAN   HISTORY. 


remain  that  have  sufficent  strength  to  become 
adversaries  of  eacli  other  or  all  combined  to  make 
a  stand  before  the  white  race,  which  in  military 
circles  would  be  considered  more  tlian  a  mere 
skirmish.  The  Sioux  and  a  few  tribes  west  of 
them  are  all  there  are  left  of  the  formerly  power- 
ful tribes  that  have  been  scattered  to  the  four 
winds  f  the  earth,  and  but  a  very  small  portion 
of  this  extermination  has  been  done  by  the 
whites.  In  fact  it  can  safely  be  said  that  the 
Indians  by  their  intermine  strife  have  fought 
the  battles  tliat  white  men  certainly  must  have 
fought  had  the  American  Indians  been  all  of 
one  blood  and  one  nation  at  the  beginning  of 
America's  settlement,  and  it  looks  as  if  it 
was  ordained  that  they  should  slaughter  each 
other  and  thereby  make  the  white  man's  entry 
into  their  country  comparatively  easy. 

These  wars,  stirring  up  as  they  did  a  natural 
and  the  greatest  characteristic  of  an  Indian, 
which  is  revenge,  helped  along  the  extermina- 
tion, which  seems  to  have  been  and  still  is  the 
ultiraate  result  awaiting  them.  The  true  born 
Indian  cares  nothing  for  his  life  after  once  be- 
ing wronged  except  for  the  revenge  he  can  get 
out  of  it.  With  no  cause  for  revenge  in  his 
heart  he  is  as  peaceable  and  kind  as  any  human 
on  earth.  His  word  is  his  bond  and  he  would 
not  break  it  to  sjive  his  life.  But  do  him  one 
dishonest  act  and  he  will  never  be  your  friend 
nor  a  friend  to  your  children  after  you.  The 
Indians  are  not  a  complaining  people;  they  put 
liP  with  their  lot  as  it  falls  to  them  without  a 
jnurmer,  provided  that  lot  has  been  cast  to  them 


EARLY    INDIAN   HISTORY.  243 

by  the  will  of  the  Great  Spirit  or  their  own  con- 
duct. This  I  kiiow  to  be  the  true  Indian 
character.  If  by  an  accident  caused  by  his  own 
carelessness  or  want  of  prudence  he  is  injured, 
you  can  no  more  get  a  complaint  from  liim  than 
you  could  from  a  stone.  Even  your  sympathy 
ho  does  not  ^vallt,  nor  will  he  receive  it  except 
by  stolid  silence  and  indilference.  He  seems 
imbued  with  the  idea  that  each  person  should 
and  must  stand  or  fall  upon  his  own  individu- 
ality. No  company  busint»ss  for  him;  no  putting 
upon  another  a.  duty  that  belongs  to  himself;  no 
reaping  where  lie  has  not  sewn,  and  no  getting 
into  the  happy  limiting  grounds  in  the  canoe  of 
his  neighbor.  Honor  is  his  god.  But  let  his 
discomfiture  be  brought  about  ])y  the  dis- 
honesty or  treachery  of  another  and  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life  is  lived  only  for  revenge.  He 
don't  want  to  forget  a  wrong  and  will  not  for- 
get it,  but  W'ill  nourish  it  and  cares  not  how 
soon  he  dies  if  he  can  only  die  in  avenging  that 
w^rong  or  attempting  to  do  it.  Take  this  as  the 
standard  of  Indian  character  back  from  time 
without  date,  w^hen  the  first  dishonorable  act 
was  committed  against  an  Indian  tribe,  and  you 
can  readily  see  that  for  at  lest  three  hundred 
years  revenge  has  been  their  object  and  their 
only  aim.  An  eye  for  an  eye  and  a  tooth  for  a 
tooth  has  always  been  Indian  law.  It  is  not  re- 
corded that  Indians  burnt  prisoners  at  the 
stake  until  many  years  after  wdiite  settlement 
began  and  I  say  it  boldly  and  without  fear  of  a 
contradiction  that  they  learned  it  of  the  whites. 
See  the  battle  of  Capt.  Mason  with  the  Pequod 


244  EARLY   INDIAN  HISTORY. 

Indiana  ill  1637.  He  burned  their  villages,  their 
women  and  children  without  mercy  and  as  they 
called  it  then,  '  'by  the  will  of  God. "  From  this 
and  similar  instances  the  Indians  learned  their 
lessons  and  they  practiced  it  until  their  reveng- 
ful  hearts  were  satisfied. 

Among  the  Indians  before  white  men  had  cor- 
rupted them  there  was  no  vice;  they  were  a 
strictly  moral  people  and  the  marriage  tie  was 
sacred;  quarrels  among  them  were  very  few  but 
as  with  all  classes  of  the  human  race  the 
incorrigable  were  found.  I  once  knew  a  case 
where  one  Indian  killed  another  with  a  knife 
and  the  family  of  the  murdered  man  demanded 
his  surrender  jjy  the  chief,  it  being  quickly  done. 
These  people  marched  him  to  the  spot  where  he 
had  commited  the  deed  and  with  the  same 
weapon  he  had  used  on  his  victim,  he  was  slain. 
Do  you  think  the  culprit  murmured?  Not  he. 
Not  a  word  of  complaint  did  he  utter  nor  for 
an  instant  shrink  from  the  uplifted  blade,  but 
without  a  quiver  and  with  liis  own  hand  held 
back  his  blanket  to  receive  tlie  blow,  shouting; 
"How!  How!"  (strike).  After  the  afair  the  two 
families  met  and  talked  the  matter  over,  the 
pi  J  of  peace  was  smoked  and  thereafter  no  two 
two  families  in  the  tribe  were  better  friends. 
The  deal  had  been  an  even  one  and  although 
each  family  regretted  the  occurrence,  the  hatchet 
was  buried.  But  had  not  the  murderer  been 
given  up  to  them  for  sacrifice,  time  immemorial 
would  have  found  these  two  families  at  war 
with  each  other.  In  all  cases  of  murder  among 
the  Indians,  the  weapon  used  in  the  killing,  be 


EARLY   INDIAN"   HISTORY.  *245 

it  club,  knife  or  arrow,  is  carefully  preserved 
and  never  used  again,  and  hundreds  of  years 
thereafter,  barring  extermination  of  the  tribe, 
the  weapon  can  be  produced  and  its  story  told. 

The  first  lessons  given  the  Indians  by  white 
men  were  intended  to  impress  upon  their  minds 
the  necessity  of  giving  up  their  old  habits  and 
€ornforniing  to  those  of  the  whites,  and  to  fol- 
low the  example  of  their  white  brothers.  As 
the  Indian's  memory  is  his  record  the  words  of 
the  white  people  were  frequent!^/  talked  over 
by  them  and  kept  fresli  in  their  luinds  and  all 
examples  were  carefully  watched,  because  such 
examples  they  Avere  expected  to  follow.  Quick 
to  observe  they  had  not  long  to  wait  l)efore 
deception  was  apparent  in  the  dealings  of  the 
white  men,  and  as  to  their  actions  as  examples, 
they  could  not  follow  them.  .The  missionaries 
and  traders  had  no  untutored  among  themselves 
to  deceive;  no  wives  and  sisters  to  degrade  by 
the  use  of  fire-water,  and  as  a  consequence  this 
all  fell  to  the  lot  of  the  untutored  Indian,  and 
they  goon  learned  that  no  honor  was  shown  in 
the  examples  get  for  them  and  no  honor  was 
expected  in  return.  Thus  the  very  foundation 
of  Indian  character  was  shattered  and  as  they 
naturally  looked  to  the  white  people  as  their 
superiors,  their  degeneration  began  and  white 
people,  instead  of  improving  their  morality, 
destroyed  it. 

Missionaries  were  sent  among  them  to  give 
instructions  as  to  a  future  life,  which  instruc- 
tions, though  they  differed  with  tlieir  own,  must 
be  followed,  because  they  were  told  if  they  done 


246  EARLY    INDIAN    HISTORY. 

HO  tliey  ^vollld  becomo  as  tlie  white  people  in 
many  ways;  be  l)etter  fed,  be  better  clothed  and 
in  all  respects  be  better  ofl\  'Jliet^e  religious 
teacliings  were  very  hard  for  them  to  embrace 
as  theirs  had  been  Jianded  down  to  them  from 
generation  to  generation  by  traditional  means. 
They  w\'it(;he(l  those  teachers  very  closely,  and 
it  took  not  long  to  discover  that  the  missionaries 
were  ]>nt  little  better  than  the  traders  in  mat- 
ters of  deal,  for  they  exchanged  trinkets  and 
other  articles  with  tliem  for  sugar  and  furs,  the 
same  as  the  traders  did,  and  they  gave  no  bet- 
ter bargains. 

But  as  I  art!  in  duty  ]>ound  in  these  articles 
to  be  truthful,  I  must  say  that  the  Catholic  mis- 
sionaries must  not  he  included  with  those  of 
other  denominations.  I  am  not  in  the  least  pre- 
judiced in  saying  so  for  the  information  of 
tiuthfulness  in  their  dealings  I  get  from  the  In- 
dians themselves.  But  for  the  missionaries  of 
other  denominations  I  cannot  say  as  much. 
Of  my  personal  knowledge  I  know  on  several 
occasion  wdiere  they  had  received  large  consign- 
ments of  clothing  from  benevolent  institutions 
and  societies  for  free  distribution  among  the 
sick  and  needy,  wdiich  they  sold  and  traded  for 
profit.  One  incident  I  will  relate  which  came 
directly  in  my  Avay,  in  the  winter  of  1853,  that 
shows  one  man  at  least  whoso  heart  was  true  to 
his  teachings.  It  w^as  a  very  hard  and  cold  win- 
ter and  many  Indians  were  poor  and  destitute, 
particularly  so  at  Fon  du  Lac  at  the  hea(^  of 
Lake  Superior.  By  some  means  Father  Baraga, 
a  Catholic  priest  located  at  L'Anse  Bay,  a  dis- 


EARLY  INDIAN   niSTORY.  247 

tance  by  trail  from  Fon  du  Lac  of  about  two 
iiuiidred  and  fifty  mile?.,  heard  of  the  great  Hnf- 
fering  there  and  that  one  family  in  particular, 
a  widow  and  her  children,  were  all  sick.  He 
provided  liimaelf  with  such  medicines  as  could 
readily  be  had  and  set  out  on  snowshoes  to  make 
the  ."journey  in  dead  of  winter,  with  the  snow 
several  feet  deep.  About  the  20tli  of  Jaiuiary, 
1854,  I  left  La  Pointe  for  Ontonagon,  some 
ninety  miles  awfiy  in  the  direction  of  L'Anse. 
A])out  half  way  between  La  Pointe  and  Ontona- 
gon I  met  Father  Baraga  on  his  way  to  Fon  du 
Lac,  as  he  said,  to  assist  the  distressed  and 
needy  th(n'(%  and  1  am  quite  positive  that  he 
"would  hav(>  perished  that  night  but  for  our 
meeting.  His  snowshoes  liad  given  out  and  it 
would  have  been  inipossi];)]e  for  him  to  have  pro- 
ceeded far  without  tliem  on  account  of  the  deep 
snow.  Our  party  made  it  comfortable  for  him 
that  night  and  one  of  my  men  repaired  his 
snowshoes  and  in  tlie  morning  returned  with 
him  on  tliat  perilous  journc:, .  Some  months 
after  I  met  him  when  he  told  me  of  Iiis  trip  and 
liow  he  had  found  the  family  sick  and  destitute; 
that  lie  had  given  them  medicine  and  otherwise 
provided  for  them,  and  when  he  left  them  they 
were  doing  well  and  were  comfortable. 

I  do  not  mention  this  incident  for  the  purpose 
of  drawing  a  line  between  any  two  or  more 
denominations  that  iiad  missionaries  in  this 
country  but  to  state  the  plain  facts  for  history. 
Any  denomination  that  secured  such  a  martyr  as 
Father  Baraga  would  be  fortunate  indeed,  for 
his  manly  and  upright  disposition  would  have 


248  KARLY    INDIAN   HTSTORY. 

prompted  liiin  to  hucIi  acts  wherever  i)lace(L. 
I  have;  been  freciuently  told  by  the  Indians  that 
Buch  acts  of  khidness  as  Father  Baraga  dis- 
played, l)nt  not  to  snch  a  hazardons  degree,  were 
common  with  tlie  Catholi(3  missionaries.  One 
thing  is  certain  that  wliile  there  were  ten  to 
one  missionaries  here  of  other  denominations 
not  one  sncceeded  in  gaining  the  good  will  of 
the  Indians  or  in  establishing  a  congregation 
amounting  to  any  considerable  nnmber,  while 
the  Catliolics  succeeded  in  establishing  a  con- 
gregation and  "vailding  a  church  on  ^Madeline 
Island,  one  of  tl>e  Apostle  group,  more  than  two 
hundnnl  years  ago,  and  that  church  is  still 
standing  a  monument  to  the  labors  of  Father 
Marciuette. 

In  closing  this  v;ork  I  wish  to  state  my  belief 
that  spiritualism  had  its  origin  with  the  Indians. 
Tliey  have  believed  from  time  without  date  that 
certain  ones  among  their  number  were  clothed 
with  the  power  of  conversin  -  with  long  departed 
friends,  and  through  this  source  got  information 
that  was  of  much  benefit  to  them.  In  fact  no 
war  or  great  undertaking  would  be  begun  by 
them  without  first  invoking  guidance  from 
their  deceased  friend.  This  medium,  as  we  call 
them,  is  termed  by  the  Chippewa  people  Man-e- 
to-ca-so-ah-min-e.  When  the  people  wish  to 
know  of  certain  things  this  man  enters  his  wig- 
wam alone.  This  wigwam  is  built  entirely  dif- 
ferent from  any  other  lodge  in  the  band  or 
tribe.  He  then  prepares  himself  to  ask  the 
questions  that  his  people  wish  him  to  propound 
to  the  spirits.     Many  writers  have  confounded 


KAIILY    INDIAN    IlISToKY.  249 

tliin  inodiuiu  ^vilh  wliat  is  known  as  the  "Medi- 
cine Man,"  but  this  in  altogether  wronpr.  The 
medicine  man  ia  a  ht^aler  of  the  pick  and  is  also 
looked  upon  and  considered,  a  very  wise  man, 
but  issni)i)osed  to  derive  miicli  of  his  informa- 
tion from  the  spirits  throngh  the  efforts  and 
power  of  this  medium.  After  this  mediiun  has 
entered  liis  wijjfwam  for  the  purpose  of  convers- 
ing with  the  departed,  many  of  the  ])aud  will 
gather  around  the  lodge  to  hear  the  answers 
which  are  many  times  received  in  two  or  three 
separate  and  distinct  voices  which  seem  tocomQ 
from  above,  each  voice  ciifl'ering  from  the  well- 
known  voice  of  the  Questioner.  1  am  willing  to 
testify  on  oath  that  I  have  heard  these  voices  a 
great  many  times  and  have  come  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  this  medium  is  actually  conversing 
with  the  spirits  and  in  reality  receives  answers, 
or  that  he  ia  a  very  powerful  Ventriloquist, 
although  a  ventriloquist,  as  known  to  us,  is  a 
personage  unknown  to  the  Indians,  and  if  any 
Indian  had  the  power  of  ventriloqui&m  or  ever 
has  had,  it  is  and  has  been  kept  by  the  owners 
thereof  a  profound  secret,  not  even  coming  to 
the  surface  in  the  great  secret  order  which  I 
have  before  mentioned  in  this  w^ork.  These 
wise  men  were  all  members  of  this  secret  order 
and  the  ventriloquist  secret,  if  such  it  was,  could 
not  be  kept  by  the  possesor  from  the  other  mem- 
bers of  the  order  without  violating  their  mem- 
bership oath. 

These  are  facts  and  I  leave  those  who  read 
this  to  draw  their  own  conclusions. 


e> 


^<>. 

>. 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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7. 


1.0    [Sia  I 


I.I 


1.25 


2.5 


2.2 


122 


1.4 


12.0 


1.6 


V] 


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'^^^'^^  ^J^    -^<^  '-'^ 


">> 


'/ 


CHAPTER  Xiy 


THE    CHIi^PEWA    LANGUAGE. 


I  will  now  endeavor  to  give  the  reader  some 
words  and  definitions  of  things  unknown  to  the 
Indians  before  the  advent  of  white  people  among 
them  and  also  of  things  always  familiar  to  them. 
This  tribe,  as  far  back  as  I  have  ever  been  able 
to  delve,  never  had  a  horse  or  pony,  and  when 
white  men  brought  them  they  named  them  ba- 
ba-zhe-go-ga-zhe,  meaning  an  animal  with  a  solid 
or  round  hoof.  When  the  cow  became  known 
among  them  it  was  named  be-zhe-ga;  ba-zhe-ga- 
wug  is  cattle.  A  moose  is  called  moze,  and  the 
white  people  preserved  nearly  the  Indian  name. 
Ah-dik  is  elk;  wa-was-kish  is  deer:  ma-nish-to- 
nish  is  sheep;  ah-nim-moze,  a  dog;  ma-ying-gun, 
a  wolf;  wa-gooch,  a  fox;  pesh-shu,  a  lynx;  o-geak, 
a  fisher;  wa-ba-shush,  a  martin  or  sable;  shong- 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY.  251 

gua-zhe,  a  mink;  wa-shush,  a  rat;  ah-mik,  a 
beaver;  ne-jik,  an  otter;  ah-chit-a-moo,  a  squirrel 
and  muk-wa,  a  bear. 

An  Indian  never  uses  profane  language,  but 
wlien  he  wishes  to  use  all  the  venom  he  can  he 
calls  the  object  of  his  wrath  "mar-che-an-im,'" 
which  means  '  'the  devil's  dog. " 

Sco-ta-wa-boo  is  whiskey,  sco-ta  meaning  fire 
and  wa-boo  a  drink  or  tea. 

Surprise  a  Chippewa  and  his  first  act  will  be 
to  place  his  hand  over  his  mouth.  His  expres- 
sion on  seeing  a  handsome  woman  is  ka-gat-qua 
nage-e-qua.  Let  him  be  surprised  at  his  own 
thoughlessness  or  want  of  ykill  and  he  will  put 
his  hand  over  hismouth  and  sliout '  'te-wa. "  Ke- 
sha-man-a-tou  is  the  name  of  God.  The  good 
spirit  is  man-a-tou  and  mar-che-man-a-tou  is  the 
bad  spirit  or  devil. 

I  will  now  give  you  some  words  and  phrases 
used  by  them  in  designating  dilferent  articles 
and  other  things,  the  accent  always  on  the  last 
syllable. 

Different  woods  and  timbers:  The  white 
birch  or  its  bark  is  called  we-quas;  sugar  maple, 
nin-a-tick;  sap  is  sis-e-ba-qut-ah-boo;  sap  boiled 
down  to  molasses  they  say  is  clie-wah-ge-mis-e- 
gon  ahd  sugar  is  sis-e-bah-qut.  White  cedar  is 
ge-zhik.  A  canoe  made  of  birch-bark  is  we- 
quass-che-mon,  but  the  word  is  not  applicable 
to  a  boat  of  any  other  description.  Paddle,  ah- 
bo-eh.  A  pole  used  in  pushing  a  canoe  is  con- 
da-ge-gon-auk,  A  pine  tree,  chin-quak:  oak,  me- 
tick-o-mich;  tamarack,  mus-ke-qua-tick.     A  com- 


252  EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 

"binatioii  word  used  to  designate  all  evergreens 
except  the  two  species  of  pine,  is  shin-go-beeg. 
One  log,  stick  or  tree  is  me-tick;  nie-tick-ohg,  a 
collection  of  logs  or  trees.  A  forest  is  me-tick- 
o-goge. 

A  prairie  is  mush-go-day,  and  means  a  country 
formerly  a  forest  which  has  been  cleared  by  fire; 
a  marsh  or  swamp,  mush-ke-gonk;  natural  mea- 
dows, mush-ko-se-wan-ing;  mush-ko-se-wanis  hay 
or  standing  grass.  Ah-sin  is  a  rock,  while  ah- 
ein-ege-cog  means  a  rocky  bottom  or  reef.  A 
rock  in  a  cliff  is  ah-she-bik. 

Names  they  gave  to  metals.:  Pe-wa-bik  is  iron; 
man-a-tou-wa-bik,  steel;  mes-qua-bik  is  copper; 
o-sa-wa-bik,  brass;  o-sa-wa-shu-ne-ah  is  gold  either 
in  coin  or  in  its  rough  state ;  wa-be-ska-shu-ne-ah, 
is  silver,  either  coin  or  as  a  metal:  shu-ne-ah-ma- 
ein-ah-a-gon,  paper  money;  o-sa-wah-bik-onse  is 
their  na?ue  for  penny. 

An  iron  stove  they  call  ke-sha-be-kis-e-gon;  a 
saw,  gis-ke-bi-je-gon;  an  axe,  wa-ga-qut:  ah-kik, 
iron  kettle;  ah-skik-o-mon-ali-kik,i:n  pail;  a  knife» 
mo-quo-mon;  pas-kis-e-gon  is  gun;  a-skek-o-mon 
is  lead:  ah-new-eh,  bullet;  she-she-bun-win,  shot; 
muk-ah-day  is  powder,  the  saine  word  being 
applicable  to  black  as  a  color;  be-wah-nuk,  a 
flint  as  used  in  a  gun-lock.  A  needle  was 
a  wonderful  thing  with  the  Indians.  It  was  80 
frail  a  thing  and  had  such  a  delicate  eye  that 
it  caused  much  amusement  and  they  named  it 
eha-bo-ne-gon,  meaning  that  it  had  an  eye  to 
carry  a  thread.  Pins  were  introduced  about 
the  same  time  and  being  so  much  the  shape  of 


EARLY   INDIAN"   HISTORY,  253 

the  needle  they  named  thtiii  o-ste-guan-sha-bo- 

ne-gon,  meaning  a  needle  with  a  head. 

Che-mo-quo-mon  is  used  in  speaking  of  a  white 

man  and  is  also  a  name  used  to  designate  a  ^  avge 

knife  or  sword.     It  was  brought  into  use  by 

seeing  white  oflSLcers  with  swords.  As  "die'' 
meant  large  and  mo-quo-mon  meant  knife,  so 
che-mo-quo-mon  meant  large  knife,  and  tliereby 
designated  officers  and  soldiers  f  roir  otlier  pale- 
faced  people,  such  as  traders  and  niissionaries, 
who  were  called  ah-nin-e-wog,  simply  meaning 
men. 

Among  articles  of  clothing  they  designated  a 
blanket,  wa-bo-wi-on;  wa-be-e-gon,  a  liannei  for 
clothing;  man-a-ton-wa-gon  is  a  lino  l^road-cloth; 
wa-ba-ske-gon,  muslin  or  white  cotton  goods; 
man-a-tou-iiie-nase,  beads;  moc-<ih-cin-on,  buck- 
skin or  moose  hide  moccasins;  wa-was-kish-wi-on, 
a  deer  hide  untannod,  wliile  an  untanned  moose 
hide  was  moze-wi-on,  and  eltluu"  one  aft<n"  being 
tanned  or  dressed  would  be  called  bu-squa-gun; 
me-tick-qua-ke-cin,  a  boot  or  shoe;  kit-da-ge-gon 
is  calico. 

In  naming  lakes  and  rivers  the  whites,  in 
some  cases  preserved  tlie  Indian  pronounciation. 
Following  are  the  names  of  some  of  the  most 
prominent  lakes  and  rivers:  The  Inc"*  an;4  call 
a  lake  soc-ka-a-gon,  and  a  river  ce-be.  Their 
name  for  Lake  Superior  is  Cha-jik-o-ming,  mean- 
ing the  largest  body  of  fresh  water  they  knov/ 
of.  The  name  of  the  Mississippi  River,  it  will 
be  noticed,  has  not  been  changed  in  any  respect, 
their  name  being  Mis-e-ce-be,  the  meaning  of 


254  EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 

which  is  a  grand  and  extensive  water-course,  the 
tributaries  of  which  are  ahnost  numberless. 
They  call  the  St.  Croix  River  Ah-gich-che-ce-be, 
ineaning  pipe-stem,  as  this  river  has  a  lake  at 
its  source  and  another  at  its  mouth,  one  repre- 
senting to  them  the  smoker  and  the  other  ther 
bowl  oi"  the  pipe.  Nim-ma-kah-gon  means,  in 
their  tongue,  a  lake  where  sturgeon  are  caught. 
0-da-bin-ick  means  wild  potatoes  r  .d  the  stream 
that  empties  into  the  St.  Croix  river  above  Still- 
water, and  called  Apple  River  by  the  whites, 
the  Indians  named  O-da-bin-ick-con-ce-be.  Kin- 
ne-ke-nik-ce-be,  a  river  which  empties  into  St. 
Croix  Lake  ai  Hudson,  Wis.,  the  Vv'hite  people 
call  Willow  river.  Ka-ka-be-kong  means  the 
falls  of  a  river.  Snake  River  they  named  Ka- 
na-be-go-ce-be,  and  Kettle  River  Ah-kik-ah-ce-be. 
The  river  leading  from  the  source  of  the  St. 
Croix  River  to  Lake  Superior  the  Indians  named, 
Wa-sah-que-da-ce-be,  meaning  burnt  river,  and 
is  now  called  by  the  Avhites,  Brule,  the  French 
term  for  burnt.  Ah-ga-wa-ce-be-one,  is  the  name 
given  by  the  Indians  to  the  Montreal  River, 
which  divides  Michigan  and  Wisconsin  and  the 
meaning  of  ii  is,  "we  hardly  get  started  before 
the  falls  stop  our  navigation."  Mus-ke-ce-be 
means  Swamp  River,  but  it  is  now  called  by  the 
whites  Bad  River.  Sha-ga-wa-me-gunk  is  a  pen- 
insula dividing  the  bay  at  Ashland,  Wis.,  from 
the  main  lake, -and  a  government  lighthouse  is 
now  located  there,  Non-do-na-gon  is  the  name 
of  the  river  the  whites  call  Ontanogon,  and  the 
Indian  name  means  searching  for  the  lost  dish; 


EARLY    INDIAN   HISTORY.  255 

the  non-do  meaning  search  and  na-gon  meaning 

dish. 

In  the  Chippewa  language  the  earth  is  ah-ke- 

kong;  a  small  territory  is  ah-kee:  clay  is  wa-be- 

gun;  sand,  bing-que-ca;  flying  diist,  bing-que; 
flying  ashes,  sco-ta-binff-que.  Soil  colors — white 
clay,  wa-be-sca-be-giai;  red  clay,  mns-squa-be- 
gnn;  yellow  clay,  o-sa-wa-be-gun.  The  word  by 
which  a  color  is  designated  is  prefixed  to 
the  one  describing  the  material  proper. 
White,  Ava-be-ska;  red,  ma-squa;  blue,  o-sou-wa- 
squa;  yellow,  o-sah-wa;  bla(5k  muck,  muk-a-da- 
wa;  mus-shuk-gunk-es-sha-na-gua-sit,  a  sky  col- 
or; ge-zhe-gunk,  is  the  Heavens;  ge-zhe-gue,  is 
day;  noon-gum,  the  present  tin^e;  tip-pe-cut  is 
night;  noou-gum-tip-pe-cut,  to-night;  noon-gum- 
ge-zhe-gut,  the  present  day. 

Before  white  people  came  among  them  they 
knew  no  Sunday,  nor  the  beginning  or  ending 
of  weeks  or  months,  but  reckoned  time  by  moons, 
winter  and  summer  seasons;  but  now  they  have 
a  name  for  Sunday — Ah-num-e-a-ge-zhe-gut — 
which  means  "the  day  we  go  to  church."  They 
call  the  service  at  church,  Ah-num-e-a.  New 
Years  day  is  Nom-mik-wa-ta-tin,  or  the  meeting 
of  two  years.  They  call  priest,  Muk-wa-da-ah- 
coo-ne-a.  Ah-num-ah-a-wa-co-me-cunk,  means  a 
church;  ah-nin-e  is  man;  ah-nin-e-Avug,  a  num- 
ber of  men;  e-qua  is  woman;  e-qua-wug,  women; 
ah-be-no-gee,  child;  al  :be-no-gee-ng,  children; 
ah-cue-wan-zee,  an  old  man;  che-mene-de-mo-ya, 
an  old  womon;  o-skin-ah-way,  a  young  man; 
o-ske-nage-e-qua,  a  young  woman;  ah-qua-nage-e- 


256  EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 

qua,  a  handsome  woman  or  girl;  ali-qua-nage-ali- 

min-e,   a  handsome  man;    song-gua-da,    brave: 

song-qua-da-a-nin-e,  a  brave  man. 

A  human  being  is  ah-nich-ah-na-be,  that  is  as 
a  whole.     Descriptive  it  is  this:    Beginning  at 
the  feet,  the  Indian  would  say,  a  foot  is  o-sit, 
the  leg  is  o-cot;  the  thigh  is  ob-wam,  the  hips 
o-chi-gun,  the  back  o-bic-wan,  the  abdomen  or 
stomach  o- mis-cut,   the  arm   o-nick,   the  hand 
o-minge,  the  neck  o-qua-gun;  the  head  is  o-ste- 
guan,    the    ear  o-do-uck,  the  nose  o-iosh,    the 
mouth  is  o-doone,  the  eye  is  o-ske-zhic,  the  teeth 
is  we-bit-dun,  the  tongue  oda-un-eau,  the  chin 
is  o-da-mik-cun,  the  chest  o-cah-ke-gun,  the  heart 
o-day,  the  blood  mis-qua.     The  brain,  which  all 
Indians  believe  to  be  the  source  from  which  all 
knowledge  eminates,  they  call  we-nin-dip.     One 
Indian,  in   speaking  of  another  whom  he  con- 
siders above  mediocrity  in  brain  power  would 
say  of  him:     Ka-get  clie-me-cha-ni-o- we-nin-dip. 
Tliis  means  he  has  got  a  very  large  brain.     Nee- 
oss,  my  own  flesli;  ke-oss,    your  flesh;  nin,    my- 
self; kin,  yourself  a.nd  win,  a  third  person;  ah- 
nish-e-nah-big,   two  or  three  persons;  che-ne-pe- 
wa-ah-nish-e-nah-big,  means  a  great  many  peo- 
ple. 

I  never  knew  an  Indian  to  grow  a  beard.  The 
first  chore  in  the  morning,  when  a  beard  is 
showing  itself,  is  to  pluck  every  vestige  of  it 
out.  I  have  often  inquired  why  they  did  it, 
but  could  never  get  a  satisfactory  answer.  The 
only  reason  seemed  to  be  that  it  was  not  pretty. 
They  have  a  name  for  it,  however,   and  call  it 


EAKLY    INDIAN   HISTORY.  257 

iTie-soowat-one,  the  meaning  of  which  word  is 
the  mouth  hidden. 

Now  try  to  read  this  sentence:  0-da-bin,  ah- 
be-no-gee  ma-we  go-sha — go  take  the  child,  it 
ories. 

The  Indian  count  was  thus:  One,  ba-zhic; '^, 
neicii;  3,  nis-swy;  4,  ne-win;  5,  nali-nun;  6,  go- 
twas-swe;  7,  neich-wap-swe;  8,  swa-swy;  9,  shong- 
qus-swy;  10,  me-dah-swy;  11,  me-da-swy-ah-she-ba- 
shik;  12,  me-da-swy-ah-she-neich,  and  so  on  to 
twenty.  You  will  observe  that  me-dah-swy 
means  10,  ah-she  means  "and,"  tbe  numeral  be- 
ing added  to  this  until  you  reach  twenty.  Ex- 
ample: Nis-swy  is  3;  then  me-da-swy-ah-she- 
nis-swy  is  13;  20  is  neich-tan-a;  21  is  neich-tan-a- 
ah-she-ba-zhic,  and  so  on  to  30,  which  is  nis-ce- 
me-tan-ah;  31,  nisce-me-ta-na-ah-slie-bazhic;  40 
is  ne-me-tan-ah;  50,  na-ne-me-tan-ah;  60,  go-twas- 
e-me-tan-ah;  70,  neich-was-me-tan-ah;  80,  swas-e- 
me-tan-ah;  90,  shong-gus-e-me-tan-ah;  100,  na- 
ning-go-twauk;  101,  nane-go-twauk-ah-she-ba- 
zhic;  102,  nane-go-twauk-ah-she-nich,  and  so  on; 
200,  neich-wauk;  201,  neich-wauk-ah-she-ba-zhic, 
and  so  on;  300,  nis-wauk;  400,  ne-wauK;  500,  non- 
wauk:  600,  go-twas-wauk;  700,  neich-was-wauk; 
800,  swas-wauk;  900,  shong-us-wauk;  1,000,  me- 
dos-wauk,  and  so  on. 

Write  the  following  in  Chippewa:  "Indian 
killed  one  bear,  two  deer  and  one  moose  to-day, " 
and  it  will  read,  "  Noon-gum-ge-ne-sa  ba-zhic 
muk-wa,  neich  wa-was-ka-zhe-gi-ah  ba-zhic 
moze. " 

To  continue  with  the  names  the  Indians  gave 
to  the  different  species  of  the  feathery  flock,  the 


258  EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 

American  eagle  they  call  Che-me-ke-se,  while 
me-ke-se  is  an  ordinary  eagle.  Ah-zhe-jok;  a 
sand-hill  crane;  ne-kuk,  a  goose  or  brant;  zlie- 
zheep,  a  duck;  zhe-zhe-buck,  many  ducks;  ka- 
kek^  hawk;  co-co-co,  owl;  wa-be-na,  grouse  or 
prairie  chicken;  pe-na,  partridge;  o-me-me,  pig- 
eon, mumg-ua-na,  yellow  hammer. 

Madeline  Island,  in  Lake  Superior,  derived 
its  name  from  this  iDird,  as  it  used  to  congregate 
there  in  great  numbers.  They  named  the 
island  Mun-gua-na-ca-ning,  but  the  Missionaries 
muddled  it  into  Madeline. 

Pe-na-she,  a  bird;  pe-na-she-ug,  many  birds; 
ga-ga-ge,  a  crow;  ma-ma,  the  large  woodcock,  by 
many  historians  callecl  the  Indian  hen;  twe- 
twish-ke-wah,  a  plover;  che-zhe-zhe-buck,  can- 
vass-back duck;  nin-ah-zhe-buck,  mallard;  wa- 
week-ing-gronge-ge,  the  blue  wing  teal,  mean- 
ing .'  'their  wings  whistle  in  the  air. "  Most  other 
species  they  simply  called  zhe-zhe-buck.  Ba-ka- 
qua,  domestic  chicken;  mis-e-say,  a  turkey. 

Among  the  finny  tribe  they  named  the  fish 
which  affords  the  followers  of  Isaac  Walton  so 
much  pleasure,  the  brook  trout,  marsh-ah-may- 
guass,  while  a  lake  trout  they  named  as  na- 
may-guass;  a  whitefish,  ah-dik-gum-egg;  catfish, 
ma-num-meg;  sturgeon,  na-mae;  wall-eyed  pike, 
o-gali;  pickerel,  ke-no-zhe;muscallonge,  masli-ka- 
no-zhe,  and  the  perch  o-ga-weg. 

The  Indian  child  now  calls  its  father  ne-bah- 
bah,  and  mother,  ne-mah-mah.  Formerly  it  was 
noce  for  father,  and  ning-ga  for  mother.  Brotlfer, 
ne-cieh;  sister,  ne-mis-eh,  but  it  only  applies  to 
brothers   and    sisters  older  *than  the  speaker. 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY.  259 

Ne-,slie-way  would  apply  to  either  brother  or 
sister  younger  than  the  speaker.  Ne-she-nia- 
que-we-zence  means  a  boy;ne-slie-nia-e-qua-zence, 
a  girl;  sah-sa-gah-e-nin-e  means  handsomely 
dressed  or  nice  manners. 

Their  names  for  berries  and  fruits:  Kasp- 
berries  they  call  mis-que-me-nuk,  meaning 
blood  berries;  blackberries,  tuk-og-o-ine-nuk; 
strawberries,  o-da-me-nuk,  shaped  like  a  heart; 
cranberries,  mus-ke-ge-me-nug;  me-num,  blue- 
berries; a  common  apple,  me-she-min;  thorn 
apple,  me-she-me-nace-suc. 

The  following  is  a  miscellaneous  collection  of 
names  and  words  which  were  in  use  almost  daily, 
among  which  will  be  found  the  substantial  of 
life  introduced  by  the  white  race:  Wheat-flour, 
or  bread  made  from  flour,  bo-qua-zhe-gun;  corn, 
min-dah-min;  cornbread  is  min-da-min-ah-ba- 
qua-zhe-gun;  o-be-nick,  potatoes;  che-a-ne-bish, 
cabbage;  ah-ne-bish  tea,  and  after  it  is  steeped 
it  is  called  ah-ne-be  sha-boo;  coffee  is  muk-a-da- 
ma-ske-ke-wa-boo;  do-do-sha-boo  is  milk;  mus-ke- 
ke-wa-boo  is  a  medicine;  the  mus-ke-ke  the  med- 
icine and  wa-boo  the  drink;  do-do-sha-bo-ba-me- 
day  is  butter,  meaning,  properly,  grease  from 
milk;  we-oss  is  fresh  meat;  be-she-ke-we-oss  is 
beef;  co-kush-we-oss  is  pork;  wa-was-kesh- we-oss, 
venison;  moze-we-oss,  fresh  moose  meat;  muk-wa- 
we-oss,  iDear  meat;  ah-dik- we-oss,  elk  meat;  m^- 
nic-ton-ish-we-oss,  mutton;  o-da-bon,  sleigh  or 
wagon;  de-be-sa-o-dak-bon,  wagon  or  car  with 
wheels;  ne-cun-ah,  a  road  or  trail;  sko-da-o-da- 
bon-me-cun-ah,  a  railroad;  ah-sho-gun,  a  bridge; 
a-h-sho-ga,  across  a  bridge  or  water;  be-mich-ca, 


■  .j.^' 


260  EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 

he  crosses  in  a  boat;  this  shore,  o-das-o-gon:  the 
other  shore*  ah-gon-mink;  to  row  a  boat  is  ah- 
sha-boo-ya,  while  ba-ma-sha  is  sailing  a  boat; 
ba-mo-za,  walking;  be-me-bat-to,  running;  ke- 
she-ca,  run  fast;  ba-pin,  to  laugh;  ma- we,  to  cry; 
ge-git-o,  speak;  ke-nooch,  speak  to  those  people. 
Both  the  latter  words  are  commands.  Was-wa 
means  a  fire  hunt;  wa-swa-gun  is  torch-light; 
was-squaw-nane-ge-gun  is  lamp  or  candle- light; 
the  sun  is  called  ge-ses;  the  moon,  tip-e-ge-ses;  a 
star,  ah-nung;  ah-nung-goog  is  many  stars;  me- 
shuk-qut,  clear  sky;  ah-nuk-qut,  cloudy  sky; 
num-me-keeg  is  thunder;  num-me-keeg-wa-sa- 
tage  is  lightning. 


I  (        \\ 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


I  waB  born  in  the  State  of  Alabama  in  the  year 
1820,  and  at  the  age  of  ten  years,  having  had 
less  than  three  weeks'  schooling,  I  was  decoyed 
away  from  home  by  a  man  named  Thomas,  who 
was  engaged  in  horse-racing,  traveling  all  over 
the  Southern  states. 

In  the  summer  of  1833  we  went  to  New  Or- 
leans, La.,  where  I  was  injured  by  a  fall  from  a 
horse,  and  just  after  this  and  before  I  had  re- 
covered from  that  injury,  I  was  taken  sick  with 
a  fever  which  lasted  for  a  number  of  weeks. 
Mr.  Thomas  and  his  party  left  me  there  with 
directions  to  follow  as  soon  as  I  was  able.  They 
went  on  to  Holly  Springs,  Miss.  I  started  in 
about  four  weeks  and  reached  Holly  Springs, 
but  had.  left  my  bed  too  soon  and  there  had  a 
relapse,  and  from  that  time  until  spring  was  not 
able  to  do  any  work. 

I  was  then  moved  to  Decatur,  Ala.,  and  a 


262  EARLY  INDIAN  HISTORY. 

gliort  time  afterward  to  Atheii.s  where  I  met 
Mr.  Thomas,  who  Siiid:  "Perhaps  you  had 
better  go  home,  for  probably  you  will  never  be- 
able  to  ride  in  a  race  again."  He  also  stated 
that  he  had  written  to  my  oldest  brother  about 
a  month  before  and  told  him  that  my  health 
was  bad  and  that  I  w^ould  have  to  lay  by  and 
have  good  care  for  some  time  to  come,  but  said 
he  had  received  no  reply  to  his  letter  and  would 
not  be  surprised  to  see  my  brother  at  any  time, 
and  hoped  he  would  come,  for  he  did  not  like  to 
see  me  start  alone  to  make  the  journey  in  the 
condition  I  was.  "Besides,"  he  says,  "you 
have  been  with  me  three  years  and  over,  and 
your  salary  for  this  time  is  all  due,  which  I 
will  pay  you  at  any  time, "  but  said  he  did  not 
think  it  would  be  safe  for  me  to  carry  it,  and 
would  pay  me  enough  for  present  expenses  and 
put  the  remainder  in  the  bank  subject  to  my 
order  if  my  brother  did  not  come  to  meet  me. 
I  told  him  I  would  like  to  go  to  Huntsville,  as  I 
had  a  friend  there  whom  I  would  like  to  see. 
He  paid  my  stage  fare  to  Huntsville  and  return 
and  told  me  to  come  back  to  Athens,  as  he 
would  be  there  two  or  three  weeks.  After  the 
visit  1  came  back  to  Athens. 

I  owned  a  horse  at  this  time  which  was  in  the 
possession  of  Mr.  Thomas.  He  asked  me  one 
day  shortly  after  my  return  from  Huntsville: 
' '  How  much  do  you  suppose  I  owe  you  ? "  I  told 
him  what  the  agreement  was — to  pay  me  $50  per 
month  and  the  extras  that  were  allowed  to  rid- 
ers in  the  races  they  won,  and  besides  this  there 
was  the  difference  between  the  value  of  the 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY.  263 

horse  I  had  brought  with  mo  and  the  one  I  now 
had. 

' '  That  is  correct, "  says  he.  ' '  I  owe  you  now 
just  $2,600.  I  have  deposited  it  in  the  bank." 
He  handed  me  the  certificate  of  deposit  for  it, 
then  took  me  to  the  bank  and  told  the  cashier 
I.  was  the  party  to  whom  the  money  was  to  be 
paid.  He  next  took  me  to  a  clothing  store  and 
made  me  a  present  of  two  suits  of  clothes,  and 
also  of  a  watch  to  remember  him  by,  and  re- 
marked: "I  am  very  sorry  you  can  ride  no 
more,  for  you  are  the  most  successful  rider  that 
ever  lived,  and  if  you  are  ever  able  to  ride  again 
come  to  me  and  you  shall  have  a  place  as  long 
as  I  have  a  place  to  give  anybody. " 

We  returned  to  the  hotel  where  we  were  stop- 
ping when  he  told  me  he  had  arranged  with  the 
landlord  to  pay  my  bill  until  I  was  ready  to  go 
home,  and  that  he  had  reserved  money  enough 
from  my  salary  to  pay  my  fare. 

During  all  the  time  I  had  been  with  Mr. 
Thomas  I  was  known  by  an  assumed  name,  so 
that  my  mother  would  not  find  out  where  I  was. 

Mr.  Thomas  and  I  walked  out  upon  the  porch 
of  the  hotel  just  as  the  stage  coach  was  driving 
in  from  Huntsville.  Three  passengers  alighted, 
one  of  whom  was  my  oldest  brother.  He  did 
not  recognize  me,  on  account  of  being  so  re- 
duced by  bad  health,  but  he  recognized  Mr. 
Thomas  immediately,  and  soon  was  aware  that 
I  was  in  his  presence.  The  excitement  incident 
to  this  meeting  with  my  brother,  and  the  good 
treatment  I  had  received  from  Mr.  Thomas, 
quite  unbalanced  me  and  caused  a  backset  that 


264  EAKLY    INDIAN   HISTORY. 

confined  me  to  my  bed  three  or  four  days,  and 
dviring  this  confinement  physicians  told  me  I 
had  better  leave  that  climate  and  go  either  west 
or  north. 

It  was  decided  to  do  this  as  soon  as  1  was  able 
to  travel,  and  we  set  out  for  the  west  instead  of 
going  home.  I  rode  a  horse  and  my  brother 
walked  as  far  as  Florence,  Ala. ,  where  we  took  a 
steamboat  down  the  Tennessee  river  for  Padncah, 
Ky.  There  we  were  obliged  to  halt  for  a  few 
days  for  me  to  recuperate  and  receive  medical 
treatment.  When  we  left  here  it  was  by  steam- 
boat for  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

We  spent  the  winter  of  1834  and  most  of  the 
year  1835  in  that  city.  My  health  improved 
but  little.  During  the  season  of  1835  we 
learned  that  a  boat  was  going  up  the  river  to 
Prairie  du  Chien,  and  thinking  it  might  benefit 
my  health,  my  brother  and  I  took  passage  and 
witnessed  the  peace  treaty  which  was  consum- 
mated that  year  by  Gen.  Cass  with  the  differ- 
ent tribes  of  Indians. 

We  returned  on  the  boat  to  St.  Louis,  and  the 
same  fall  went  to  Hannibal,  Mo.,  where  we 
stayed  until  1837.  During  this  time  I  made  the 
acquaintance  of  Maj.  Walker,*who  was  to  be  one 
of  the  parties  on  the  part  of  the  government  to 
make  a  treaty  at  St.  Peter,  Minn.  I  took  this 
trip  up  the  river,  but  remained  on  the  boat,  not 
being  able  to  go  through  with  Mr.  Yv^alker  and 
returned  to  Hannibal.  ' 

At  times  I  felt  better,  and  always  best  dur- 
ing the  trips  up  the  river.  I  had  a  constant 
cough  both  day  and  night,  and  this,  with  chills 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY.  265 

and  fever,  prevented  me  from  gaining  strength. 
Doctors  prononncedme  in  the  last  stages  of  con- 
sumption. Fortunately  for  me  I  visited  Dr. 
Peek,  then  residing  in  Hannibal,  an  old  phy- 
sician who  had  about  retired  from  practice.  He 
made  an  examination  of  my  case  and  told  me 
he  thought  my  lungs  were  all  right  and  be- 
lieved a  change  of  climate  would  benefit  me, 
and  if  that  would  not,  medicine  would  do  me 
no  good.  Upon  his  recommendation  I  went 
again  up  the  Mississippi  to  the  St.  Croix  piner- 
ies, taking  a  man  with  me  to  help  get  back  into 
the  woods  to  rough  it  and  to  live  or  die  there. 
"When  I  parted  with  my  friends  at  Hannibal 
none  expected  to  see  me  again  alive. 

At  Prairie  du  Chien  I  engaged  a  half  breed 
by  the  name  of  Ben  Young,  who  had  been 
raised  with  the  Chippewas  and  spoke  English 
tolerably  well. 

I  landed  at  Lake  St.  Croix,  where  the  city  of 
Hudson,  Wis. ,  now  stands,  on  the  second  day  of 
June,  1840.  The  place  was  then  called  Page's 
Landing.  Mr.  Page  was  on  board  the  boat  I 
came  up  on,  having  been  below  to  purchase  sup- 
plies for  his  camp.  He  assisted  me  in  getting 
ashore  and  also  in  having  my  cabin  built  in  the 
woods,  back  of  the  present  city  of  Hudson.  I 
remained  in  that  camp  until  about  the  middle 
of  January,  1841,  and  lived  on  wild  meat,  with 
no  tea  or  coffee,  and  but  little  bread,  seeing  no- 
body except  my  man  and  one  hunter  whose 
name  was  Peter  Bushu,  a  Canadian  half-breed. 

By  the  first  of  January  I  was  able  to  run 
through  the  woods  every  day  to  hunt,  and  my 


266 


EARLY   INDIAN   HISTORY. 


i: 


health  was  gaining  rapidly.  I  gave  up  my 
shanty  about  the  middle  of  January  and  spent 
the  remainder  of  the  winter  in  the  camp  of  Mr. 
Page.  My  man  was  teaching  me  the  Chippewa 
language,  and  by  spring  I  was  able  to  converse 
quite  freely.  During  this  time  I  had  kept  up 
constant  communication  with  my  brother,  and 
when  navigation  opened  I  made  a  flying  trip  to 
Missouri,  my  brother  having  written  me  that 
he  was  going  to  California.  I  returned  immed- 
iately to  the  Northwest,  which  has  been  my 
home  since  that  time. 


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